NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates: Ocean Sciences

• Applications open on TBD and are due on TBD.
• Program dates are: TBD (includes travel days)
• $6,000 stipend, travel, and housing support are provided by the program
• More details on the application process is on our Application Page
• This program targets sophomore and junior-level students at 2-year or 4-year institutions of higher education
• The Monterey Bay REU encourages applications from individuals who are members of a group(s) that is historically underrepresented in the marine geosciences and related sciences, including students who are Black/African American, Chicano/Latino, Indigenous American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Asian/Asian American, mixed-race POC, female, first-generation college students, veterans, and students with disabilities. The Monterey Bay REU welcomes applicants of any race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status; students who have experienced and worked to overcome educational or economic disadvantage and/or have personal or family circumstances that may complicate their continued progress in science careers.

• The goal of the Monterey Bay REU program is to increase the diversity and number of students pursuing Marine Geosciences (Atmospheric, Earth, Ocean, and Polar Science) careers.

  We work towards this goal by:

  • Recruiting students from underrepresented groups and those with limited access to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) research
  • Preparing students in advance for the rigors of an original research project
  • Engaging students in authentic and innovative research
  • Providing high-caliber mentoring and professional development support for students during and after the REU to maintain interest and involvement in the Ocean Sciences

• Depending on their research interests (see themes below), students can choose to work with mentors at one of our six partnership institutions:

  • California State University, Monterey Bay
  • Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
  • Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University
  • Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
  • Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
  • Naval Postgraduate School

• Oceanography - Trace Metal Analysis, Biological Oceanography, Internal Wave Dynamics, Ocean Analysis and Prediction, Ocean Modeling, Nearshore Processes, and Coastal Circulation
• Marine Biology and Ecology - Marine Landscape Ecology, Marine Microbiology, Fish Ecology, Marine Physiology, Population Genetics, Invasion Ecology, Conservation Biology, Thermal Stress Physiology, and Biomechanics
• Ocean Engineering - Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Ocean Instrumentation, Computer Programming, and Artificial Intelligence
• Marine Geology - Coastal Erosion, Sediment Transport, Seafloor Mapping, Biogeochemical Analysis, Sedimentology of Upwelling Biogenic Sediments, and Geomorphology of Coastal Environments

Students collaborate with mentors at host institutions to develop hypothesis-driven projects and receive constructive feedback from mentors. Students engage in reviewing original literature, formulating a hypothesis, understanding study designs, testing hypotheses, and conveying their research to a scientific audience. Post-REU training and support is also available to students.