REU Site: Interdisciplinary Research Experiences in Changing Coastal Environments

Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Chauvin LA

Investigators

Abstract

The Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), located in Cocodrie, LA, will host a new Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site program during the summers of 2018-2020. Student interns in the LUMCON REU program will have the opportunity to examine the impacts of environmental changes on a diversity of ecosystems first hand as a result of LUMCON's unique location: in the upper end of one of Louisiana's larger estuaries (Terrebonne-Timbalier Bay), in the heart of coastal Louisiana's expansive marshlands, close to and between two major rivers (the Mississippi and Atchafalaya) that dictate the coastal ecosystems morphology, processes and functions, north of a productive coastal ocean, and close to the Gulf of Mexico (as the ship steams) including its deepest parts. This setting, combined with the expertise of the LUMCON faculty, provides an opportunity for student interns to pursue independent research projects focused on a dynamic coastal and marine ecosystem. The research also will support science-based policy and management. The REU program will recruit nationally and will host six interns each summer for a ten-week research experience. Students will conduct independent research projects and participate in a variety of professional development workshops, field trips and educational activities. Most of the funding supports student stipends, room and board and transportation expenses. This REU award contributes to the NSF goal of training the nation's future scientific workforce. Students will have opportunities to conduct independent research in a variety of areas, including river/ocean interactions, delta formation and degradation, coastal loss and restoration, biodiversity, physiological, behavioral and general ecology, geomicrobiology, biogeochemistry, and acute and chronic anthropogenic and environmental impacts including climate change, eutrophication/hypoxia, ocean acidification, and oil spills on coastal and marine systems. The combination of mentor research interests and expertise with the diversity of habitats in this region provides a unique opportunity for REU interns to participate in a scientific research and professional mentoring program that interfaces fundamental research questions in coastal and marine ecosystems with problems central to science-based policy and management activities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.