New Program at Bigelow Laboratory Begins Search for Summer Interns
For the next five weeks, college students in Maine, and throughout the United States are being invited to apply for the National Science Foundation’s Gulf of Maine and the World Ocean Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program, in its inaugural year at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in West Boothbay Harbor, Maine. (2/05/2009)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
February 5, 2009
Contact: Tatiana Brailovskaya, Director of Communications, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, (207) 633-9633, brlvsk@bigelow.org
NEW PROGRAM AT BIGELOW LABORATORY BEGINS SEARCH FOR SUMMER INTERNS
WEST BOOTHBAY HARBOR, ME – For the next five weeks, college students in Maine, and throughout the United States, are being invited to apply for the National Science Foundation’s Gulf of Maine and the World Ocean Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program, in its inaugural year at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in West Boothbay Harbor, Maine. The Laboratory is the latest site in Maine to be selected for this nationwide program, designed to support active participation by undergraduates in direct research.
Eight students will be chosen to work with senior scientists to conduct independent research on topics that include the chemistry of climate change, environmental biology of marine phytoplankton, bacteria and viruses, genome evolution in the algae, and the ecology and physiology of marine invertebrates. Co-directed by Bigelow Senior Research Scientists Drs. Rick Wahle and David Fields, the program will run from June 7 through August 15, 2009, and will give students experience with hands-on, state-of-the-art research methods and technologies.
According to Wahle, students will learn the fundamentals of the scientific process, including workshops on how to form testable hypotheses, critically evaluate data, and present information in a scientific manner. “One of the benefits of being designated as an REU site is that it gives us the ability to bring together a critical mass of students from different universities -- each with a different educational background -- to interact with scientist mentors,” he said.
“Bigelow Laboratory has a strong commitment to education and outreach, with a track record of engaging students from high school on,” said Fields. “The Laboratory, its staff, and its proximity to the ocean provide an ideal setting for students to be fully immersed in ocean science.”
“We are specifically hoping to attract underrepresented students to apply because they are often skipped over by traditional educational opportunities,” he continued. “A major goal of this program is to build student confidence and research skills for today's scientific world.”
Applicants should have a minimum of one year of college-level biology and be in good standing with their home institution. All students in the program will receive housing, a stipend, and a modest food and supplies allowance. The application deadline is March 15, 2009. Applications and more information are online at www.bigelow.org/education/REU.
Established in 1974, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences is a center for global ocean research. An independent, nonprofit research institution, the Laboratory is supported by federal research grants and private funds. The laboratory’s research focus ranges from microbial oceanography -- examining biological productivity in the world’s oceans at the molecular level -- to the large-scale biogeochemical processes that drive interactions between ocean ecosystems and global environmental conditions. These programs have taken Bigelow scientists around the world to every ocean and the polar seas.