REU Site: University of Maryland Eastern Shore REU in Marine and Estuarine Science

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This REU Site award to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, located in Princess Anne, MD, will support the training of 8 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2015- 2017. The program focuses on marine and estuarine science. Students will be offered a broad range of mentorship in various areas including, but not limited to, fish and macroinvertebrate population dynamics, marine microbiology and parasitology, molecular biology, genetics, environmental chemistry, and ecotoxicology. REU interns will also participate in field trips along the Maryland Coastal Bays and Pocomoke River. Students, particularly rising sophomores, will be recruited by various means, including use of flyers describing the program and by digital-based advertising. Students with limited opportunities for research, particularly in coastal systems, and from groups under-represented in science are particularly encouraged to apply. Selection is based on academic record, letters of recommendation, and interest in further studies in the areas of marine and environmental science. Students will receive a stipend and travel support. Housing and board will be provided.It is anticipated that a total of 24 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. In addition to research, workshops will be conducted to train students in science communication, data analyses, scientific ethics, and various contemporary topics in marine science such as global climate change, and anthropogenic eutrophication. Interns will present their results at a symposium that will be held at the Paul S. Sarbanes Coastal Ecology Center. Interns will also prepare a short report of their research.A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences) will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students are required to be tracked after the program and must respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information is available by visiting http://www.umes.edu/reu, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Paulinus Chigbu at pchigbu@umes.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Maggie Sexton at masexton@umes.edu).