REU Site: Independent Field Research in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at Mountain Lake Biological Station

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An award was made to the University of Virginia to provide research training for 10 weeks for 10 students, for the summers of 2010-2014. The REU Site program at Mountain Lake Biological Station is a summer opportunity to conduct guided, but independent, self-motivated original biological research in field-based ecology, evolution, and behavior. Under the supervision of a resident research mentor and the program Coordinator, students design, execute, analyze, interpret, and present an original research project. Students live and work full-time on the station. They participate in weekly seminars on the design and conduct of research, scientific ethics, writing and presentation techniques, and other matters of scientific and academic life. Training in professional behavior, scientific ethics, and the careful, unbiased, and responsible conduct of research is core to the program. Students prepare written and oral proposals and final reports. Participants also take advantage of the rich, varied, and stimulating intellectual life at Mountain Lake Biological Station. All Station residents eat meals together in the common dining hall, and most daily activity revolves around the central lab building where all research programs are housed. Interactions among all Station users occur constantly, resulting in a remarkably supportive and collaborative environment. The Station has hosted a NSF REU Sites program since 1993 and has graduated over 200 students. Program success is quantified with anonymous exit surveys and by tracking publication rate and graduate program matriculation. A substantial proportion of REU projects are published, and a large number of participants go on to graduate school. The program has been successful in attracting students from small colleges, women, and members of groups underrepresented in science. The program maintains formal partnerships with regional HBCUs, the University of Puerto Rico, and the ESA SEEDS program. Participants are chosen for their readiness to take on original creative biological research and for their interest in a career based in science. Program information including past project abstracts and application material are all available on line. Contact: REU Coordinator, Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400327, Charlottesville VA 22904-4327; 434-982-5486, mlbs-reu@virginia.edu, mlbs.org/REU.html .