This REU Site Biological Discovery in Woods Hole award to the Marine Biological Laboratory, located in Woods Hole, MA, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2020 - 2022. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or are from an under-represented group, with the majority consisting of rising freshman and sophomores, will be trained in the program. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Assessment of the program will be done thru the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths.
The Biological Disovery in Woods Hole integrates the students with the marine setting and unique intellectual blend of year-round and summer investigators at the MBL, providing a diverse and varied research experience. The program focuses on the neurobiological and/or cellular processes which regulate physiological systems, and/or mediate organismal behavior. The mentors are selected from the Marine Resources, Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering, Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution and Whitman Centers at the MBL. The goal is to recruit highly motivated students, and immerse them in research under the guidance of mentors who are committed to enhancing the undergraduate research experience. To augment the research, students participate in field trips (i.e. whale watching, New England Aquarium), weekly course meetings, seminars, and luncheons that explore a wide range of topics including responsible conduct in research, ethics, and graduate school applications to encourage students to pursue a career in the Biological Sciences. Student progress is assessed multiple times during the summer and all students will present a research talk and poster at the MBL Undergraduate Research Symposium at the end of the program. Applications are made available each December with a mid Febuary deadline. More information about the program is available by visiting www.mbl.edu/education/undergraduate-programs/reu or by contacting the PI - Dr. Allen F. Mensinger at amensing@d.umn.edu; or the co-PI - Dr. Veronica Acosta at vgmartin@uiwtx.edu.
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.
