REU Site Mystic Aquarium: Collaborative Research: Investigating the Consequences of Global Change on Marine Animals and their Ecosystems

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This REU Site award to Mystic Aquarium (MA) located in Mystic, CT, and the University of Connecticut (U Conn) in Groton, CT, will support the training of 8 students annually for 10 weeks during the summers of 2017- 2019. This award is supported by the Division of Biological Infrastructure in the Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Division of Oceanic Sciences in the Directorate for Geosciences. Research is conducted at UConn's Avery Point campus which hosts MA's laboratories and UConn's Department of Marine Sciences. Research is focused on how global change, such as climate change and ocean acidification, affects marine organisms and their ecosystems. Students will be mentored by MA and UConn scientists specializing in aquatic animal physiology, behavior, and ecological processes. Projects span multiple trophic levels of the marine ecosystem, with all students working together to address the overarching question. Field trips to MA will be a major component, including educational tours, animal and ecosystem exhibit observations, job shadowing, ethics/responsible conduct of research, and science communication. Students will present their findings at MA to scientific and public audiences. A stipend, housing, meal and travel allowances will be provided. Students may apply on-line and will be selected based on a personal statement of their interest in marine sciences, academic record, letters of recommendation, and brief explanation of desired research mentors. Communication with prospective project mentors in advance is encouraged. It is anticipated that at least 24 students 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. A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU Site programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be tracked after the program to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about the program is available by visiting http://www.mysticaquarium.org/reu or by contacting the PI (Dr. Tracy Romano at tromano@mysticaquarium.org) or Co-PI (Dr. Michael Finiguerra at michael.finiguerra@uconn.edu).