REU Site: Undergraduate Research in Estuarine and Coastal Marine Systems

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides funding for a new REU site to be located at the Duke University Marine Laboratory (DUML) in Beaufort, NC. The PI will recruit eight students each summer. Students will have a choice of 12 advisors in the general research areas of (1) sensory physiology and behavior, (2) environmental toxicology, (3) genetics, and (4) coastal and estuarine processes. The DUML is located on Pivers Island in coastal Carteret County of North Carolina. Pivers Island is part of the Newport River estuary and is about 2 km from the ocean via Beaufort Inlet. Coastal and estuarine invertebrate species and a variety of habitats (marshes, mudflats, sand flats, beaches, creeks, channels, open ocean) are readily available for student research projects. The Marine Laboratory is home to the 135 foot R/V Cape Hatteras, as well as a 42 foot research trawler (Susan Hudson), plus skiffs and canoes. Facilities of the Marine Laboratory, including dormitories, laboratories and classrooms, and the dining hall, are ADA compliant. The program is open to all students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, but recruiting efforts for this REU Site will focus on students who are majoring in science and who are rising juniors and seniors attending the 35 schools that are affiliated with the Marine Laboratory in the Marine Sciences Educational Consortium.