| NSF Org: |
OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | January 21, 2020 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | September 16, 2021 |
| Award Number: | 1947838 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Elizabeth Rom
elrom@nsf.gov (703)292-7709 OCE Division Of Ocean Sciences GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | February 15, 2020 |
| End Date: | July 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $291,600.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $291,600.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2021 = $97,200.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
516 HIGH ST BELLINGHAM WA US 98225-5996 (360)650-2884 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1900 Shannon Point Road Anacortes WA US 98221-4042 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | EDUCATION/HUMAN RESOURCES,OCE |
| Primary Program Source: |
01002122DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT 01002223DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.050 |
ABSTRACT
This award will support a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site at Western Washington University?s Shannon Point Marine Center (SPMC), which is located in Anacortes, WA. The program will bring eight undergraduates to SPMC each summer for a nine-week research experience. During the three years (2020-2022), the project will provide summer internships for a total of twenty-eight students. Students will conduct independent research projects with the guidance of research mentors and will participate in a variety of professional development activities, including workshops on scientific ethics, scientific writing, the graduate school experience and career options, as well as field trips and outreach events. The program conducts a national search for applicants and seeks to engage students who are from community colleges and schools with limited research opportunities. Most of the funding provided supports student stipends, housing and travel to attend the program. This project supports the national goals of developing the next generation of scientists and the scientific workforce.
The general theme of this REU Site involves a process-oriented approach to estuarine dynamics, emphasizing primary and secondary productivity, nutrient flux, biogeochemistry, microbial ecology, water quality, ocean acidification, sediment and nutrient transport at estuarine and boundary-layer scales, and chemical ecology, topics that articulate well with the SPMC studies of invertebrate ecology and life histories. With his/her adviser, each student develops and presents a project plan in a colloquium setting during the second week, conducts the research under the appropriate level of faculty supervision, and presents oral and written reports at the conclusion of the program. Publication of results and presentation at scientific meetings is strongly encouraged and supported.
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.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The purpose of the Shannon Point Marine Center (SPMC) summer REU program is to provide quality research experience and professional development opportunities to undergraduate students who have had limited research experience or research opportunity, with the goal of helping them move toward successful careers in the marine sciences. Participants in the nine-week program were matched with faculty researchers who serve as dedicated mentors, helping the students develop and pursue research that is meaningful, relevant, and appropriately focused to the interests and capabilities of each individual. The general research themes focused on living resources and processes in the Salish Sea, including primary and secondary productivity, biogeochemistry, microbial ecology, marine diseases, and invertebrate life histories.
Over the course of the summer, the students’ research activities were supplemented with regular workshops that gave them hands-on experience with instrumentation and analytical processes. They also received weekly training in data analysis and scientific communication. Group activities promoted collaboration, a cohort identity, near-peer mentoring, and access to the entire group of faculty mentors. Faculty and staff also presented workshops on applying to graduate school, ethics in science, and public science education, and students had opportunities to participate in local public outreach events. At the end of the program, each student developed and presented oral and written reports summarizing their outcomes, and faculty worked with them to prepare their work for presentation at science conferences and for publication where possible.
Over the period of this grant, 24 students from 22 different institutions (including 7 Minority Serving Institutions) completed the SPMC REU program. 38% of the participants' home institutions offered AAs or BSs as the terminal degree, so those students, in particular, had limited prior access to research opportunities. 58% of the REU participants were from racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in the marine sciences, and 13% were first generation college students. To date, the work the students completed during the summers of 2021, 2022, and 2023 has resulted in one publication in the refereed scientific literature (with several others moving toward publication) and 15 presentations (including 21 REU student authors) at science conferences.
Last Modified: 08/08/2024
Modified by: Brian L Bingham
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