This award provides renewed funding for a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee's Center for Great Lakes Studies (CGLS). The program will support stipends and related expenses for nine REU students per summer during a 10 week research internship. The REU Site provides environmental aquatic science research training for nationally-recruited students in a multidisciplinary environment. Students interested in chemistry, geology, and biology of lake and ocean settings are paired with mentors supervising active research laboratories. Students spend time aboard the R/V Nesskay sampling Lake Michigan and using a remotely operated vehicle for exploration of a nearby reef. The program includes workshops on graduate school, career opportunities, scientific writing, public presentation of results and related topics. Each student will present a poster and oral talk describing their work to a public audience at the end of the program. They also will write a detailed paper in the format of a typical journal article. Students will be encouraged to publish their papers following the summer session.
