REU Site: Undergraduate Research Experiences in Coastal and Nearshore Marine Systems of the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。“该奖项为位于AL.海豚岛的海豚岛海洋实验室（DISL）的REU站点提供资金。DISL每年夏天将招收七名有兴趣从事海洋科学研究生学习和职业的学生。海洋实验室位于墨西哥湾东北部的多芬岛，距离大陆约4英里，为来自阿拉巴马州21所学院和大学的学生和教师以及来自美国各地的游客提供课程和研究设施。在申请过程中，学生将与合适的教师导师相匹配。在导师的指导下，参与者将设计、实施、分析和报告独立的实验室和实地研究项目。研究领域包括海洋鱼类和无脊椎动物的生态学和早期生活史阶段，珊瑚礁生态学，底栖生物群落的进化和历史，海草生态系统中的植物/动物相互作用，海洋保护生物学，微生物在海洋环境中转化有机和无机化合物的作用，浮游植物和浮游动物生态学，浅水近岸物理海洋学和生物地球化学。此外，参与者还将获得正式项目之外的各种机会，包括参加重大科学会议和延长研究巡航的旅行支持。随着他们的独立研究项目，该计划将暴露学生在海洋科学的职业机会（即学术研究，政府服务，私营部门的研究和海洋教育）和科学伦理通过一系列的研讨会，讲习班和实地考察，整合到该计划。该项目将招收各种各样的学生，并将向墨西哥湾沿岸地区的地方学校开展推广工作，主要是那些没有研究生课程和不向本科生提供研究经验的学校。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."This award provides funding for an REU site to be located at the Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory (DISL), in Dauphin Island, AL. DISL will recruit seven students each summer who are interested in pursuing graduate studies and careers in the marine sciences. Located on Dauphin Island in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico about four miles from the mainland, the Sea Lab provides courses and research facilities for students and faculty from 21 colleges and universities in Alabama and visitors from throughout the U.S. During the application process, students will be matched with an appropriate faculty mentor. Under the guidance of their faculty mentors, participants in the program will design, implement, analyze and report on independent laboratory and field research projects. Research areas include aspects of the ecology and early life history stages of marine fishes and invertebrates, coral reef ecology, evolution and history of benthic communities, plant/animal interactions in seagrass ecosystems, marine conservation biology, the role of microorganisms in transforming organic and inorganic compounds in marine environments, phytoplankton and zooplankton ecology, and shallow water near shore physical oceanography and biogeochemistry. In addition, participants will be offered a variety of opportunities outside of the formal program, including support for travel to major scientific meetings and extended research cruises. Along with their independent research projects, the program will expose students to career opportunities in marine science (i.e., academic research, governmental service, private sector research and marine education) and scientific ethics through a series of seminars, workshops and field trips that are integrated into the program. The program will work to recruit a diverse set of students, and will conduct outreach efforts to regional schools in the Gulf Coast area, primarily to those that do not have graduate programs and do not offer research experiences to undergraduates.