This award to the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). UAS will conduct an REU Site research program for undergraduates during the summers of 2009-2011. Ten students will be selected each year to participate in an intensive 10-week research program in marine biology and coastal ecology. The REU Site program offers research experience to undergraduate students interested in the physiology, ecology, population genetics, and behavior of organisms in Alaska's marine and coastal environments. The UAS Juneau campus, located on Auke Bay, provides opportunities for hands-on research experiences with invertebrates, birds, and mammals, as well as in glacial hydrology and biogeochemistry. In addition to the Juneau area, field research projects take place in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, the Tongass National Forest, the Gulf of Alaska, Juneau glacial icefields, and the Arctic Ocean. The program is supported with funds from the National Science Foundation Directorate of Biological Sciences, in partnership with the Division of Ocean Sciences in the Directorate for Geosciences. Each student participant will receive a stipend, housing and subsistence allowance, and travel support to and from Juneau. The program begins in early June with a retreat and an introductory workshop at a wilderness lodge near the UAS campus. The retreat includes presentations by mentors on their research, training in the conduct of science, selected field methods, and field safety, as well as team-building activities. Student participants conduct research under the guidance of UAS Natural Sciences faculty and collaborating scientists. During the program, students work intensively with their mentors on individual projects and present their results in a seminar at an end-of-program symposium. Opportunities also exist for students to present their work at national meetings. When not in the field, students and mentors also participate in weekly discussions and seminars, including discussions of scientific ethics. Additional information can be found at www.uas.alaska.edu/biology/undergraduate-research/REU/index.html, or by contacting the Project Director, Dr. Elizabeth Mathews at eamathews@uas.alaska.edu.
