REU Site: Bridge to Research in Marine Sciences

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This award provides funding for a new Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at Savannah State University to be called "Bridge to Research in Marine Sciences: A Summer REU Program in Savannah, Georgia". The program will support eight to ten students during a seven week summer research program. Savannah State University along with its local partners the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO), Georgia Tech, and Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary in Savannah (GRNMS), Georgia have research environments that are well-equipped and staffed to provide intellectual merit in student research projects. Student recruitment will focus on freshmen and sophomores from HBCU's and small non-research colleges and universities. The first two weeks of the program will focus primarily on whole-group activities including short courses and workshops in marine science, statistics, technical writing, experimental design and ethics, guest lectures, field trips, and visits to marine laboratories in the Georgia/South Carolina coastal region. The second part will consist of a research cruise on an oceanographic vessel (UNOLS, R/V Savannah), and the third phase will involve four weeks of research capped with a student research seminar. Student deliverables will include a log/journal, formal written research report, a seminar presentation and a completed program evaluation form. It will include independent research projects by the students, participation in a semi-weekly summer lecture series on topics like scientific writing, science careers, ethics and data visualization. The program will conclude with a written report and student poster presentations. This program is mainly field-based, but students will have access to global databases and excellent computer equipment. Students will be encouraged to publish in peer-reviewed journals and participate in national conferences following the summer research program.