REU Site: Integrative Biology and Ecology of Marine Organisms

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

An award was made to the University of Washington to provide research training for 10 weeks for 10 students, for the summers of 2010-2012. This award is also supported by the Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) in the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO). This research experience is designed to increase ocean literacy and familiarity with the marine environment within the framework of an all encompassing scientific community that will offer a full career's worth of support and guidance. The University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories will offer an excellent environment in which to study the integrative biology and ecology of marine organisms. The labs are on San Juan Island and offer a variety of pristine and impacted intertidal and subtidal habitats that will serve as the platform for student projects. Participants recruited from the national pool of undergraduates will take advantage of this coastal environment and the diversity of research approaches at the labs to engage in truly interdisciplinary work. The program includes research mentoring and also formal training in the tools needed to become a biologist, including ethics and the responsible conduct of research, science writing, presentation, and outreach. Students are expected to engage in one-on-one research at the labs for the entire 10 week program, during which they will also participate in exercises designed to further their development. The broader impacts of this program are at many levels: the labs will benefit from these energetic young people bringing new ideas, and the program will make the labs more attractive to investigators using our facilities. This program will build on the success of the Laboratories' underrepresented minority mentoring program by offering more students an opportunity to participate. The educational, career development and team building aspects of the program will be tracked to show the lasting effects on student participants who will be assessed with a common assessment tool. Contact Scott Schwinge (schwinge@uw.edu), Adam Summers (fishguy@uw.edu) or Emily Carrington (ecarring@uw.edu) for more information about the program. Or, visit the website at http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/REU.html.