REU Site: Ocean Sciences & Engineering at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 2019-2021 Program

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) in Woods Hole, MA will host a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site that will provide ten students with a ten-week active learning experience each summer for three years. Each Summer Student Fellow (SSF) is matched with an advisor(s) from one of the academic departments at WHOI. Fellows work with their advisor to complete a work plan within their first few weeks of arriving at WHOI. During the summer, each SSF makes two presentations: a five-minute mid-summer oral progress report, and a final oral or poster presentation on their research. A written final project report is required. Professional development activities include a special lecture series, a one-day field experience on the R.V. Tioga, a half-day Responsible Conduct of Research workshop, training by the WHOI graphics department on how to prepare a scientific poster, and discussions about graduate school with a panel of postdocs and graduate students. Fellows are encouraged to publish papers in scientific journals and to present their research at scientific meetings after the internship is completed. The WHOI REU Site will provide a total of thirty undergraduates with internships over the three-year period. 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. The range of potential research projects for REU students at WHOI is extensive, with high-quality research conducted by the students in a wide range of disciplines and sub-disciplines. WHOI is one of the largest independent oceanographic institutions and research fleet operators in the world. Fellows use state of the art analytical instruments, sampling devices and modeling programs for their research projects in a wide range of disciplines, including biology, marine chemistry and geochemistry, geology and geophysics, physical oceanography, ocean policy and ocean engineering. Research themes that crosscut disciplines include oceans and climate, the changing Arctic, deep-sea exploration, ocean observing systems, biogeochemical processes and cycles, autonomous underwater vehicles and systems, seafloor processes and evolution, and human-ocean interactions and impacts. This project supports national goals of developing the next generation of scientists and the scientific workforce. 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.