REU Site Mystic Aquarium: Collaborative Research: Plankton to Whales, Consequences of Global Change within Marine Ecosystems

This REU Site award to Mystic Aquarium (MA), located in Mystic, CT, will support the training of 10 students annually for 10 weeks during the summers of 2020 - 2022. Research is conducted at the University of Connecticut’s (UConn) Avery Point campus, in Groton, CT, which currently hosts both MA’s laboratories and MA’s collaborative partner UConn’s Department of Marine Sciences.

It is anticipated that a majority of the 30 students trained over 3-years will come from schools with limited research opportunities and from underrepresented groups. Students will learn how research is conducted, and will present their findings to both scientific and public audiences. Many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences.

Assessment of the program will be done thru the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths.

The REU program focuses on how global environmental change affects marine organisms and their ecosystems. Students will be mentored by Aquarium and UConn scientists that specialize in aquatic animal physiology, behavior, and ecological processes. Projects will span multiple trophic levels of the marine ecosystem, with all students working together to address the overarching question.

Field trips to MA will be a major component of this immersive experience, including educational tours, animal and ecosystem exhibit observations, job shadowing, ethics/responsible conduct of research, and science communication. Motivated students should apply on-line at http:www.mysticaquarium.org/reu). Students will be selected by the PIs based on a personal statement of their interest in marine sciences, academic record, and letters of recommendation.

Students are encouraged to provide a brief explanation of their desired research mentors. Communication with prospective project mentors in advance is encouraged. More information about the program is available by visiting http://www.mysticaquarium.org/reu or by contacting the PI (Dr.

Tracy Romano at [email protected]) or Co-PI (Dr. Michael Finiguerra at [email protected]). This award is supported by the Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) in the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO)and the Division for Biological Infrastructure (DBI) in the Directorate for Biosciences (BIO).

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.