Research Experiences for Undergraduates at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Educating future generations of scientists is one of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center's ( SERC ) primary objectives, and this has been accomplished since 1971 by a highly successful undergraduate internship program. SERC's history and its future potential in training undergraduates make it a model location for establishment of an REU Site in Environmental Sciences. Interns accepted into the REU program will select a mentor and spend four days in that laboratory, and one day a week during their first three weeks rotating through other terrestrial or aquatic laboratories. After settling into an independent research project, interns will be immersed continually in scientific culture and a cohesion curriculum. They will take a series of short courses and will participate in graduate-level discussion groups. They also will attend SERC's weekly and evening seminar series and take field trips to affiliated research institutions. At the end of their internship, interested and motivated students will be encouraged to continue their research through the academic year and accompany their SERC mentors to a national scientific meeting to present their findings. Effective recruitment is critical to the success of this program. Advertising on the World Wide Web, on e-mail bulletin boards, and through mailings will continue. Partnerships with faculty and higher administration at several mid-Atlantic academic institutions to identify and encourage talented students to enter the SERC internship program will continue.