REU Site at the Shannon Point Marine Center: Marine Research in the Coastal Waters of Puget Sound

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This award provides renewed funding to support the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at Western Washington University's Shannon Point Marine Center (SPMC) during the summers of 2001-2005. The program will support eight students each summer for a total of nine weeks during which they will work with mentors on independent research projects. Students will be recruited nationally, with special attention given to institutions without research opportunities for undergraduates and institutions without ready access to marine environments. The goal of the program is to provide students the opportunity to engage in research that is both effectively supervised and independent, in the sense that each project's objectives are distinct, identifiable and can be brought to conclusion during the course of the program. Most research topics will focus on the local coastal marine and estuarine environments, including productivity, biogeochemistry, microbial ecology, water quality issues, and chemical ecology. The proposal is based on the theory that mentoring and networking are the most effective methods for recruiting students into a profession and for training young researchers. This program is well designed to encourage highly motivated students to continue the their pursuit of research careers in oceanography. Students conduct independent research and produce oral and written reports at the end of the internship that may lead to publications in research journals. The program will encourage a diverse set of forty students to continue their education in the field of oceanography. In the past the program has had more than 50% female participants, has drawn students from across the nation, and has attracted an ethnically diverse group of students.