Researchers at the University of Virginia (UVA), University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and the University of Kansas (KU) are seeking 2-4 undergraduate students, especially from underrepresented groups, to join a Coastal-Heartland Marine Biology Summer Research Exchange Program.
The ten-week program involves five weeks (approx. 6/3/2024-7/5/2024) getting hands-on exposure to marine biology systems and data through UVA or UCSB, followed by four weeks (approx. 7/8/2024-8/2/2024) at KU learning data analytic approaches and applying them to data from marine systems. students will carry out thell own research projects with the assistance of project staff. The final week of the program will take place at the annual Ecological Society of America meeting (8/4/2024-8/9/2024), in Long Beach, CA, where students will get broad exposure to the field of ecology and to ecological research
Students will be paid a stipend of $6200. Housing costs, flights or other transport to and from the sites, and conference fees will also be provided.
The main purpose of the program is to orient students to the fields of ecology and marine biology, to provide research experience, and to encourage the realization that these fields can provide excellent and fascinating career possibilities for students from a wide range of backgrounds. A strong curiosity about natural systems is more important for success in this program than specific background knowledge. Students from backgrounds underrepresented in ecological and marine research are especially encouraged to apply.
The Department of Environmental Science at UVA, located in Charlottesville, Virginia, is a leading research center for interdisciplinary environmental sciences including coastal marine science; the department administers the Virginia Coast Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research project, located near Cape Charles, VA, at which some selected students will participate in field work. The Marine Science Institute at UCSB is a world-class research institute which runs the Santa Barbara Coastal Long-Term Ecological Research project for studying kelp forests and adjacent ecosystems. Selected students may alternatively participate in field work through this program. KU, located in Lawrence, Kansas, is a premier research university with special excellence in ecology and evolutionary biology. This program will be led by Dr. Dan Reman of KU, Dr. Max Castorani of UVA, and Dr. Kyle Emery of UCSB, and is funded by a National Science Foundation grant
For questions about the program, please contact Castorani at castorani@ virginia.edu. To applv, please send a cover letter describing your background and interest, a CV, and contact information for two professional references to Reman reuman@ku.edu. Review of applications will begin 2/19/2024. We will continue to accept applications until positions are filled. Additional information can be found below.
University of Virginia Environmental Sciences Department: https://evsc.as.virginia.edu/; Virginia Coast Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research project: https://www.vcrlter.virginia.edu/; UC Santa Barbara Marine Sciences Institute: https://msi.ucsb.edu/; Santa Barbara Channel Long-Term Ecological Research project: https://sbclter.msi.ucsb.edu/; University of Kansas Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: https://eeb.ku.edu/; University of Kansas Center for Ecological Research: https://biosurvey.ku.edu/
