Project: REU Site: Observing the Ocean

NSF Award Abstract:
Texas A&M University's Department of Oceanography in College Station TX will host a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site program from 2019-2021. The program will focus on "Observing the Ocean" and will bring ten undergraduates to TAMU for a 10-week internship each summer. Mentors will be selected from the Departments of Oceanography, Geography and Civil Engineering and the Geochemical and Environmental Research Group (GERG), and students will have access to a variety of ocean observing instrumentation and data. They will participate in a cruise aboard the R/V Pelican to collect samples and data from the nearshore and offshore environments. Seminars and training modules will focus on data analysis, graphical representation of oceanographic data, data management, science writing and professional development. Students will present at weekly REU seminars and at the final REU Student Research Symposium, and they will complete a research proposal and either a final poster or written report. Student recruitment will focus on rising Sophomores and Juniors.

The TAMU REU Site will provide a total of thirty undergraduates with internships over the three-year period. The program conducts a national search for applicants and seeks to engage students who are from schools with limited research opportunities. Most of the funding provided supports student stipends, housing and travel to attend the program. The focus of potential research projects for REU students at TAMU includes ocean observing technologies and analytical skills used to understand ocean issues such as hypoxia, early warning of harmful algal blooms, effects of oil spills and other pollutants, climate-induced variability in hydrography, and effects of ocean acidification. This project supports national goals of developing the next generation of scientists and the scientific workforce.

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.

Related Projects:
This project is a renewal/continuing REU project, with new leadership. The prior award project is titled "REU Site: Ocean Observing for Emerging Ocean Scientists" (OCE-1455851); see: https://www.bco-dmo.org/project/740992.