The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships in Oceanography (SURFO) program is a 10-week research program of the Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) at the University of Rhode Island. The primary goal of the program is to fully engage undergraduates in authentic hands-on oceanographic research. Program success is gauged by growth in the skill set required for research: content knowledge, formulation of research hypotheses, experimental design, collection and quantitative analysis of data, communication of the results and broader impacts of the research. The program seeks to bolster independent thinking: What do I know? How do I know it? What do I need? What does it mean?

The students arrive at the start of each summer with various levels of confidence in core math, science, engineering and oceanography content; their comfort levels in conducting research vary as well. The program is designed to provide the scaffolding to enable participants to conduct independent research within given laboratories. Each student works with a research advisor (scientist) and at least one mentor (graduate student, technician, or post doc) to develop and conduct a research project in an area of oceanography appropriate to each student's background and interests. The SURFO program exposes students to a broad spectrum of research across various sub-disciplines through introductory lectures and hot-topic lectures such as ocean exploration, climate change, hurricane prediction, food web dynamics, or ocean robotics. Specifically designed workshops address essential tools required for a career in research: laboratory safety, scientific writing, presentation, ethics, inquiry-driven research philosophy, writing for a science-based blog, how to choose and apply to graduate school. A series of informal "brown-bag" lunches with professionals outside academia exposes SURFO to potential careers in government, the private sector, and with non-profit organizations. Near the end of the program, each SURFO gives a 15-minute presentation on their research results at a GSO-wide event and produces a scientific manuscript. The program provides students with exposure to the expectations and lifestyle of graduate school. SURFOs are quickly entrained into the GSO community.

This grant fully supported 37 SURFOs; two more received partial funding, but successfully completed the 10-week program. Most students were between their junior and senior year of college; three were sophomores, and two were in their final year graduating the following December. Research projects spanned sea floor to atmosphere and ranged from laboratory work, data analysis, instrumentation development, dynamical modeling and on-the-water fieldwork. A few examples follow: Cutting-edge genetic techniques were used to understand the seasonal biomass diversity of marine bacteria and phytoplankton in local waters. Complex numerical models evaluated water intrusions along the New England coastal shelf, or the strength and variability of the Gulf Stream, or surface waves under hurricane conditions. Engineering underwater projects benefitted from digital imaging particle velocimetry. Data management challenges were addressed for underwater holographic microscopy. Characteristics of earthquakes were sought in Alaska as well as in Haiti. Some projects touched on some of the grand challenges in oceanography such as the impact of sea-level rise on coastal environments, detection of man-made pollutants, nitrogen budgets across various water bodies, or pushing the limits of remote sensing. Every year, two to four participants presented their research at national meetings. Many of the student projects provided important initial results for subsequent research proposals or publications.

Ultimately, the program gave students a taste of the successes and frustrations of authentic, cutting-edge research. Students' experience helped guide future career directions and confirmed (or not!) their interest in oceanography and research in general. The program strives to improve students' science literacy and make them better citizens prepared for the workplace or a graduate program of studies.

Last Modified: 01/07/2020
Modified by: Lucie Maranda