REU Site: Biological Discovery in Woods Hole

Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

An award was made to the Marine Biological Laboratory 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). The Biological Discovery in Woods Hole program will focus on the molecular and cellular processes that give rise to and regulate complex physiological systems that mediate organismal behavior. The program's goal is to recruit highly motivated students, especially from underrepresented groups and/or schools with limited research opportunities, and to immerse them in research programs under the guidance of mentors selected from visiting summer investigators or year-round scientists at the MBL. Interested students should access the program's website, and submit applications electronically, where they will be reviewed by the admissions committee, with notification in early spring. Each student will be assigned an individual mentor based on mutual interest. We expect the students to be fully integrated into the laboratory and actively participate in the mentor's research program. To augment the research experience, students will participate in field trips, and attend weekly course meetings, seminars and/or luncheons that will explore a wide range of topics to encourage pursuit of a career in biological sciences. The students will also attend lectures on ethics and responsible conduct in research offered by the long running MBL course, Summer Program in Neuroscience Ethics and Survival. The program will culminate in an undergraduate research symposium and poster presentation at the MBL. In conjunction with the MBL education department, we will use the "Kirkpatrick Model" for course assessment. Student experiences will be evaluated at the end of each summer and students will be queried each year after they graduate from the program, to track their career. PI Allen F. Mensinger, University of Minnesota Duluth amensing@d.umn.edu; http://www.mbl.edu/education/courses/other_programs/reu.html.