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June 3 - August 9, 2013
DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: 28 February 2013
LUMCON’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s REU Site Program, offers paid research training experiences in coastal and marine science to six undergraduates during a ten week period between late May and early August of each year. REU participants will conduct independent research projects with guidance from scientific mentors (LUMCON faculty members, post-doctoral associates, and/or visiting scientists) and their research teams. Each student is paired with a scientific mentor based on mutual research interests. The REU program is designed to give students a meaningful, hands-on research experience that takes advantage of state-of-the-art methods and technologies available at LUMCON.
Throughout the program, students will identify a research question, develop and orally present a research proposal, conduct their proposed research project, and gain experience in science communication by presenting results of their project in a manuscript-style research paper and orally at a laboratory-wide research symposium during the final week of the program. In some cases, this paper will form the basis for (or contribute to) a subsequent publication in the scientific literature. REU students will also participate in a series of career and skill-building workshops and field trips throughout the program. REU students are immersed in the LUMCON community and will have the opportunity to participate in seminars, laboratory outreach programs, social events, and more throughout the summer.
In addition to the six NSF REU interns, LUMCON typically supports additional undergraduate interns through a variety of other funding sources. Prospective students are encouraged to contact faculty members directly to see what additional opportunities they may have available this summer. Each summer, the LUMCON University Education program offers several undergraduate/graduate level field courses. REU participants will have plenty of opportunities to interact with these other students as well as graduate students and visiting scientists in residence over the summer providing an even richer REU experience.
REU program research areas vary year to year, but include Gulf Oil Spill impacts, benthic ecology, biogeochemistry, coastal geology, coastal hypoxia, coral reef biology, ecosystem ecology, fisheries and aquaculture, phytoplankton ecology, and wetland science. Please see the 2013 LUMCON REU Mentors and Project Opportunities webpage for a list of this year’s mentors. You should also check out 2011 or 2012 REU student projects.
Stipends and Other Financial Support
Interns pay no facility fees or tuition charges and receive:
- A Stipend of $5,000 for the 10-week program (paid every 2 weeks)
- Room and board at the DeFelice Marine Center
- Funds to partially or fully cover travel costs to and from LUMCON from their home or university
- Funds to support research expenses associated with their independent project
- Funds for renting small boats in support of research projects
Eligibility
NSF-supported REU participants must be current undergraduate students and citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An undergraduate student is defined as a student who is enrolled in a degree program (part-time or full-time) leading to a baccalaureate or associate degree. Students who are transferring from one college or university to another and are enrolled at neither institution during the intervening summer are eligible to apply. To be eligible you must be returning to an undergraduate degree program in the fall following the REU program. If you graduate in May or June in the year of the program, you are NOT eligible.
We make a conscious effort to promote diversity and are committed to building a diverse and inclusive community of coastal and marine scientists. All students, including those traditionally underrepresented in the marine sciences (e.g., minorities, women and students with disabilities), are encouraged to apply. Most REU students selected for the program will have completed two or three years of college because of their better course preparation but we will consider rising sophomores who have enough science and math course and/or research experience to benefit from an earlier REU experience. Letters of recommendation from individuals who can comment on continued commitment to self-motivated projects is weighted more than the GPA in the evaluation process.
How to Apply
Applications for the 2013 LUMCON REU program will be accepted through February 28, 2013. A complete application consists of the following materials:
- A completed application form
- A one-page statement of career goals and research interests
- A resume or curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation
- A copy of your current college transcript (unofficial or official copies are accepted)
All application materials must be received by February 28th. Email submission of materials to reu@lumcon.edu is preferred. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Download and read the application package here: (Adobe PDF) or (MS Word)
Applicants will be notified in early April regarding their final status. The National Science Foundation which funds our REU program has a restriction that all students who are offered a position at this REU Site do not need to accept or reject an offer until March 15th or later. The March 15th date is the earliest we can offer positions, not the latest. If you have questions or concerns regarding your status, please contact Nicole Cotten, the REU Program/University Education Coordinator, ncotten@lumcon.edu, (985)851-2845 or Dr. Brian Roberts, REU Program Director/Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Ecology and Biogeochemistry,broberts@lumcon.edu, (985)851-2821.
Academic credit
Students participating in REU internships are often eligible to receive academic credit from their home institutions. Program participants may be interested in exploring this possibility.
About LUMCON
The Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), located in Cocodrie, LA, was formed in 1979 to coordinate and stimulate Louisiana's activities in marine research and education and is situated within a dynamic coastal habitat that inspires a myriad of research questions along a freshwater to saltwater continuum. Participants in the REU program will have the opportunity to examine the impacts of environmental changes on a diversity of ecosystems first hand as a result of LUMCON’s unique location: in the upper end of one of Louisiana’s larger estuaries (Terrebonne-Timbalier Bay), in the heart of coastal Louisiana’s expansive marshlands, close to and between two major rivers (the Mississippi and Atchafalaya) that dictate the coastal ecosystems morphology, processes and functions, north of a productive coastal ocean, and close to the remainder of the Gulf of Mexico (as the ship steams) including its deepest parts. The LUMCON Marine Center houses state-of-the-art oceanographic instrumentation and analytical facilities, a fleet of coastal and oceanographic research vessels, the leading marine science library in Louisiana, and sits within an ongoing evolution of coastal habitats, a new delta and a degrading delta, large areas of coastal erosion and wetland degradation, a hurricane-impacted landscape, opportunities and challenges for coastal restoration and flood control, a changing coastal ocean ecosystem, abundant living resources, a fishing/transportation/oil and gas production nexus, and a unique social and cultural milieu.
LUMCON faculty and their research teams focus on a variety of related research themes across these diverse habitats, including river/ocean interactions, coastal productivity, delta formation and degradation, human and environmental impacts (including the immediate and long-term impacts of the recent Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill), and organismal ecology. LUMCON’s setting combined with expertise of the faculty and mentor pool provide a unique opportunity for REU students to participate in a scientific research and professional mentoring program that interfaces fundamental research questions in dynamic coastal ecosystems to science-based policy and management activities.
Contact Information
REU Program
LUMCON
8124 Highway 56
Chauvin, LA 70344 USA
(985)851-2845
reu@lumcon.edu
www.lumcon.edu/REU
All application materials should be sent to reu@lumcon.edu.
Questions about the program should be sent to Nicole Cotten, the REU Program/University Education Coordinator, ncotten@lumcon.edu, (985)851-2845 or Dr. Brian Roberts, REU Program Director/Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Ecology and Biogeochemistry, broberts@lumcon.edu, (985)851-2821.
This REU site is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE- 1063036). The cognizant Program Director for this REU site is Lisa Rom (Program Director, Ocean Education, Division of Ocean Sciences): elrom@nsf.gov or (703)292-7709. NSF does not handle REU applications; please contact each REU site directly for application information.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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