NCUR/LANCY INITIATIVE

AWARDEES FROM THE 2002 ROUND

The NCUR Board of Governors and the Alice and Leslie E. Lancy Foundation are pleased to announce the awardees from the fourth round of the NCUR/Lancy initiative. The award coordinator is listed for each institution.

Sustaining the Platte Valley: Balancing Multiple Values through Interdisciplinary Research
University of Nebraska

Humans and Their Environmental Choices: Case Studies in Winnieshiek County Iowa
Luther College

Awardee Abstracts:

Sustaining the Platte Valley: Balancing Multiple Values through Interdisciplinary Research
University of Nebraska at Kearney

The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) is Nebraska's public, residential university that is distinguished by its commitment to be the state's premier institution of undergraduate education. Undergraduate research is a vital element of the learning environment at UNK. Opportunities for students to present their research include Student Research Day and the Undergraduate Research Journal. UNK also provides mentoring and financial support to students conducting research and presenting their work at regional and national conferences.

The theme of this project will be the sustainability of the Platte River, which is the dominant geographic feature of southern Nebraska. The water and associated ecology were the critical resource for new communities as settlers moved westward in the 1800s. While much has changed along the Platte, modern communities maintain a strong interdependence with the river. In fact, Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming have entered an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Interior to create a mechanism for adaptive management of the Platte, involving a range of economic, cultural, and ecological uses of the river. The Cooperative Agreement and growing international attention because of the Platte's critical value to the North American Central Flyway (used by migratory birds) make the river a rich theme for interdisciplinary research.

With the focus on "sustainability," the Lancy Scholars will learn first hand the growing necessity of interdisciplinary research. Their objective for the summer of 2002 will be to develop information on indicators of sustainability, considering agriculture, the environment, and human developments.

The importance of the Platte River to Kearney and surrounding communities will benefit our efforts to develop support for future years. Power companies that use the Platte, land management agencies concerned about wildlife, and area foundations committed to sustainable communities will all be approached for funding.

Principle Investigator:
Dr. Kenneth Nikels
Dean, Graduate Studies & Research
nikelsk@unk.edu

Humans and Their Environmental Choices: Case Studies in Winnieshiek County Iowa
Luther College

No place in the world is immune to the immense environmental problems created by the growth in human population and the way humans have chosen to use the land. Like most of the pressing problems facing human beings in the 21st century the search for solutions will require the shared understanding of humanists, politicians, scientists, sociologists, theologians, and writers. The environmental issues facing the residents of Winneshiek County, Iowa are scarcely less complex than elsewhere and their resolution is applicable to those in other parts of the world. We propose a broad-based collaborative study for our students with Winneshiek County as their laboratory.

Principal Investigator:
Kevin Kraus
700 College Drive,
Decorah, IA 52101
krauske@luther.edu