REU Site - Summer undergraduate research internships in ocean ecology, biogeochemistry, physical oceanography, and marine geology and geophysics in the CEOAS at OSU

Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

Oregon State University will host a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site program at its main campus in Corvallis, OR that will support twelve undergraduate interns each summer for three years. Interns will be mentored by faculty at the OSU College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS). This REU Site offers research experiences in physical oceanography, ocean ecology and biogeochemistry, and marine geology and geophysics. The project includes a remote internship option, when feasible for the research project, that makes the research experience more accessible for students who cannot attend in person. The objectives of the REU program are to: 1) provide students a high-quality research experience in ocean science and an understanding of its interdisciplinary nature; 2) provide students with professional development and training opportunities facilitating persistence and retention in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career pathways; and 3) increase access to and participation in ocean sciences by students from under-represented groups through recruitment efforts at regional community colleges and non-research universities. REU student projects will center around three themes, including 1) Ocean Ecology and Biogeochemistry, 2) Marine Geology and Geophysics, and 3) Physics of Oceans and Atmospheres. Ocean Ecology and Biogeochemistry is concerned with the structure and function of ecosystems across space and time as revealed by the study of the ocean's biological, chemical, and geological processes, including feedbacks between land, atmosphere and ocean. Research backgrounds of OSU faculty include population and community ecology, biogeochemical cycling, and the deep-biosphere. Marine Geology and Geophysics includes research on seafloor and seamount volcanism and extends from the study of magmatic and volcanic processes to tectonic environments in the ocean basins including spreading centers, subduction zones, and hotspots. Paleoceanography at OSU focuses on the Cascadia margin and the high-latitudes of both the Arctic and Antarctic and utilizes premier facilities including the OSU Marine and Geology Repository, one of the nation’s largest archives of marine sediment cores. OSU research in coastal and sedimentary processes emphasizes the nearshore, where ocean hazards intersect with human population and coastal ecosystems. Other subject areas include marine applications of paleomagnetism and seismology. Physics of Oceans and Atmospheres: Projects in physical oceanography include turbulent eddies, internal gravity waves, fronts, and coastal currents, as well as numerical modeling of ocean circulation on local to global scales, ocean acoustics, optics, and remote sensing, and coupled ocean-atmosphere interactions. Research areas within this theme include the study of physical processes acting across the ocean boundaries at the sea floor, coast, and sea surface, and of the ocean's role in the Earth's climate system, spanning a wide range of space and time scales, from turbulence at scales of millimeters and seconds to global circulations at scales of thousands of kilometers and centuries or longer. Research within this theme also involves expansion of observation capabilities in the ocean and atmosphere using an array of ship-based, buoy, seafloor, autonomous, and satellite platforms, as well as data assimilation, visualization, and modeling techniques and development. 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.