Research Experiences for Undergraduates at Mountain Lake Biological Station

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The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at Mountain LakeBiological Station (MLBS, University of Virginia) offers ten students asummer opportunity to conduct independent, self-motivated,interdisciplinary, and original biological research in experimental,field-based ecology, evolution, and behavior. Under the close supervisionand guidance of a research mentor, and the program coordinator, studentsdesign, execute, analyze, interpret, and present a self-contained researchproject within the ten weeks of the program. Many student projects arepublished in leading peer-reviewed journals. Students participate in weeklyseminars on the design and conduct of research, scientific ethics, writingand presentation techniques, and other matters of scientific and academiclife. Students prepare written and oral proposals and final reports.Participants also take advantage of the rich, varied, and stimulatingintellectual and social life at Mountain Lake. MLBS hosts two formalresearch seminars per week, which include both in-house and invitedspeakers. All Station residents eat meals together in the common dininghall, and most daily activity revolves around the central lab building whereall research programs are housed. And since field sites are often withinwalking distance, interactions among all Station users occur constantly,resulting in a remarkably supportive and collaborative environment.Researchers from large universities and small colleges return to the Stationyear after year - some for 10, 20, even 30 years. Sixty to eighty principalinvestigators, course faculty, post-docs, graduate and undergraduatestudents, and high school students are in residence at the Stationthroughout the summer. MLBS has hosted an NSF REU-Sites programcontinuously since 1993 and has graduated well over 100 students - over halfhave gone on to pursue graduate training in biology. The program is verysuccessful at attracting women and students from small colleges whereresearch may not be a focus. Minority students and those inunderrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply.