This award provides renewed funding for a REU site at Western Washington University's Shannon Point Marine Center (SPMC) located in Anacortes, WA. The program will support eight student internships each summer for five years. Interns will participate in a nine-week independent research program during the summer and will receive a weekly stipend, food allowance, housing on-site, and travel to and from SPMC. Students will be recruited nationwide and will be mentored by faculty at SPMC. Undergraduate research is a prominent part of the summer program at SPMC. The REU Site program receives a significant level of institutional attention and resources, including considerable faculty and staff time, boat-time, laboratory space, and training activities that promote the research agenda. The underlying philosophy of the program at SPMC is that students can best learn the research process by working closely with individual faculty advisors in an environment that places high value on the significance of undergraduate research. Participants will be encouraged to conduct research related to the theme of living resources and processes of the local coastal environment. At the end of the nine weeks, students will complete a written report and give an oral presentation of their research.
