The goal of this project is to continue support for the REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) site at the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii. Since 1988, this REU site has provided qualified undergraduate students with the opportunity for meaningful involvement in research in oceanography and related marine sciences. Students are selected competitively from throughout the continental U.S. and U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands. During an intensive 10-week summer program, they work one-on-one with SOEST faculty mentors on a wide variety of topics in the traditional subdisciplines of physical, chemical, geological and biological oceanography, marine biology, fisheries, aquatic pollution, or at the interfaces of ocean, earth and atmospheric realms. The student actively participate in developing and implementing individual research projects, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting results, and presenting their findings in oral seminars and written reports. Over the past six years, funding from this REU site grant has provided research experiences for 59 undergraduate students from 45 colleges and universities. Of the students who have completed undergraduate studies during this time, 84% are currently pursuing careers in scientific research (including medicine).
