This award provides funding for a new REU site to be located at the Duke University Marine Laboratory (DUML) in Beaufort, NC. The PI will recruit eight students each summer. Students will have a choice of 12 advisors in the general research areas of (1) sensory physiology and behavior, (2) environmental toxicology, (3) genetics, and (4) coastal and estuarine processes. The DUML is located on Pivers Island in coastal Carteret County of North Carolina. Pivers Island is part of the Newport River estuary and is about 2 km from the ocean via Beaufort Inlet. Coastal and estuarine invertebrate species and a variety of habitats (marshes, mudflats, sand flats, beaches, creeks, channels, open ocean) are readily available for student research projects.
The Marine Laboratory is home to the 135 foot R/V Cape Hatteras, as well as a 42 foot research trawler (Susan Hudson), plus skiffs and canoes. Facilities of the Marine Laboratory, including dormitories, laboratories and classrooms, and the dining hall, are ADA compliant. The program is open to all students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, but recruiting efforts for this REU Site will focus on students who are majoring in science and who are rising juniors and seniors attending the 35 schools that are affiliated with the Marine Laboratory in the Marine Sciences Educational Consortium.
The Duke University Marine Laboratory Research Experience for Undergraduate program occurred for 10 weeks each summer from 2009-2011 and had a total of 24 participants. Partnership with Elizabeth City State University and active recruiting ensured that 1/3 of the participants were minority students. Student lived in dormitories and had meals in a dinning hall. The program was organized to train students to frame research questions and to design and undertake laboratory and field research in Ocean Sciences. Each student worked under the supervision of an individual adviser in the general areas of (1) sensory physiology and behavior, (2) environmental toxicology, (3) molecular biology and genetics and (4) coastal and estuarine processes. Activities included a Marine Laboratory-sponsored seminar series, discussions on careers in ocean sciences, sessions on scientific writing, oral and poster presentation and graphic skills, and selected field trips to introduce students to the surrounding marine environments. The results of the student projects were presented in two oral presentations (progress report and final report) and in a scientific manuscript. The program was successful in attracting students to careers in Ocean Sciences, as 3 students are research technicians, 3 students are in Masters’ of Science programs and 9 students are in Ph.D. programs.
