This REU Site award to the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), located in Woods Hole, MA, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2014- 2016. This award is supported by both the Directorates for Biological Sciences (Division of Biological Infrastructure) and Geosciences (Division of Ocean Sciences). The REU 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 from schools with limited research opportunities, and immerse them in research programs under the guidance of MBL summer investigators or year-round scientists. Applicants apply electronically through the program's website, where they will be reviewed by the admissions committee, with notification in early spring. Each student will be assigned a mentor based on mutual interest, and be fully integrated into their laboratory and research program. Augmenting the research experience will be field trips and seminars that will explore a wide range of topics to prepare students for a career in biological sciences. 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 common assessment tool (www.salgsite.org) will be used for student and program evaluation. The program will culminate in an undergraduate research symposium and poster presentation.
The goal is to recruit a cohort of students as diverse as the research environment. The research symposium will be broadly disseminated via live streaming to the general public. Students will be encouraged to publish their results in peer reviewed journals and to attend scientific meetings. Program alumni have reported high success in graduate school admission and academic or industrial employment.
Students are required to be tracked after the program and must respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information is available by visiting http://hermes.mbl.edu/education/courses/other_programs/reu.html, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Mensinger at amensing@d.umn.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Malchow at paulmalc@uic.edu).
