REU Site: Research experiences for undergraduates in coastal biology on Florida's first coast

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The University of North Florida's (UNF) Dept. of Biology will host a REU Site Program focused on the field of Coastal Ocean Sciences. The project will bring ten undergraduates to the UNF campus each summer for three years to complete a 10-week internship. The overall goal of the program is to enhance the training and career development of early stage (rising Sophomores and Juniors) undergraduate students who have not had significant research experience by engaging them in the research and culture of this important field. Students will be recruited each summer from a variety of urban universities (including a partnering Historically Black College, Edward Waters College). Other partnering organizations include the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction and Conservation, and the Jacksonville Zoo.Research topics for interns will be offered in three general areas, including 1) Ecology and conservation of coastal and marine organisms, 2) Genetic, molecular and structural biology of coastal and marine organisms, and 3) Behavior of coastal and marine organisms. All participants will complete a one-week orientation during which they will receive training in basic research skills like conducting literature reviews, dissecting scientific papers, developing hypotheses, designing experiments, writing proposals, and ethical research practices. Afterwards, students will be paired with biologists from UNF or collaborating institutions to conduct mentored research projects on major threats to coastal biological resources in North Florida. During the program, participating students will complete two formal writing assignments (a short research proposal and an Abstract) and give both an oral and a poster presentation. Students will also be encouraged to present their research findings at professional conferences and/or in manuscripts submitted to professional journals. Additional career guidance on topics such as designing research posters, scientific writing, finding and applying to graduate schools, common types of jobs in coastal biology, and presenting scientific information to a public audience will be provided in workshops throughout the summer program. Students will attend regular research seminars by UNF faculty, graduate students and previous REU participants that have recently received graduate degrees. A strong evaluation plan has been developed to determine if the anticipated results of the program (i.e., improvements in understanding of the scientific research process, confidence in research related abilities, awareness of academic and career options in science, and retention and graduate school acceptance of students, especially underrepresented minorities) are achieved as they have been in previous years.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.