REU Site: Ocean and Coastal ResEArch ExperieNces for UndergraduateS (REU-OCEANUS)

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A new Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at Texas A&M University Galveston (TAMUG), which is located on the Texas Gulf Coast, will be established with this award. The REU Site: Ocean and Coastal Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU-OCEANUS) will host ten participants in each summer for three years during a 10-week REU program. Students will have the opportunity to conduct independent, marine-focused research. REUs will work in active research labs, be mentored by the research faculty and use state-of-the-art scientific facilities and resources. Participating faculty mentors from the Department of Marine Biology, Department of Marine Sciences and Department of Ocean Engineering will engage REUs in ongoing diverse research topics including: Gulf of Mexico coastal wetlands response to climate change; shark feeding ecology; hydrozoan biodiversity; tsunami modeling; Texas coast paleoclimatology, sedimentology, physical/chemical oceanography and geology; Caribbean reef fish speciation; and Arctic Ocean biogeochemistry. REU students will gain skills in communicating their research by completing a research prospectus, a mock research budget and budget justification, an oral presentation, a Research Symposium oral and poster presentation, and a three-minute video abstract. The program will engage students in various enrichment activities, including research seminars given by the faculty, graduate school planning and workshops designed to enhance REU scholar success and to highlight various career options. The site will recruit students from diverse backgrounds with active recruitment efforts nationwide and at institutions serving as alliance partner institutions of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Programs in Texas.