REU Site: SURFO-Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships in Oceanography

University Of Rhode Island, Kingston RI

Investigators

Abstract

Research training for the next generation of marine scientists and oceanographers is an important focus for the Division of Ocean Sciences. The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO), which is located in Narragansett, RI, will be renewed for two years. The program, called the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships in Oceanography (SURFO), will bring twelve undergraduates to the GSO campus each summer. Each student will work with a research advisor and a graduate student mentor to develop and conduct a hands-on project in an area of oceanography appropriate to each student's background (mathematics, physics, biology, geology, chemistry, computer science, or engineering) and interests. The intended outcome is to develop each student's interest in ocean science research, to prepare them for careers and/or graduate studies in the field and to retain them in science. Students will conduct independent research projects with the guidance of research mentors and will participate in a variety of professional development activities, including workshops on laboratory safety, scientific ethics, scientific writing, the graduate school experience and career options, as well as a seminar series, field trips and outreach events. The program conducts a national search for applicants and seeks to engage students who are from schools with limited research opportunities. Most of the funding provided supports student stipends, housing and travel to attend the program. This project supports the national goals of developing the next generation of scientists and the scientific workforce. The SURFO REU Site will provide a total of twenty-four undergraduates with internships over the two-year period. Research opportunities available to REU students at GSO primarily focus on quantitative aspects of oceanography (e.g., physical oceanography, geophysical fluid dynamics, population genetics and biodiversity, biogeochemical cycling) in sub-disciplines that reflect the breadth and inter-disciplinary character of the field, and which closely parallel the strengths of GSO. Faculty and Marine Research Scientists conduct research on oceanography topics as diverse as atmospheric chemistry, algal blooms, benthic pelagic coupling, biogeochemical cycling, ocean and coastal circulation, global climate change, instrument development, ecosystem dynamics, geophysics, ocean optics, numerical modeling, remote sensing, pollution, seafloor mapping. Additional faculty researchers and over thirty graduate students are involved in research in the Department of Ocean Engineering located at the Bay Campus. GSO also maintains close ties with the College of the Environment and Life Sciences (CELS on URI main campus) that has over ninety faculty and strong research programs in marine biology, fisheries, aquaculture, geology, and marine affairs, with many who use seawater facilities at the Bay Campus. 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.