LUMCON has run our Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program on Interdisciplinary Research Experiences in Louisiana’s Changing Coastal Environments since 2011. This program has and/or is supported by a variety of sources including the National Science Foundation’s REU Site Program; federal, state, and other research grants awarded to research mentors; and direct support from LUMCON member institutions. A cohort of REU participants will spend ten weeks between early June and mid-August at LUMCON conducting independent research projects with guidance from scientific mentors/mentor teams (from a mentor pool of LUMCON faculty, post-doctoral associates, and/or visiting scientists) while interacting with peers participating in other aspects of LUMCON’s summer programs. Each student is paired with (a) scientific mentor(s) 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 the results of their project in LUMCON’s annual Summer Student Research Symposium during the final week of the program. In some cases, REUs will have the opportunity to further develop and refine their results into a manuscript that 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 activities 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.

Each summer, the LUMCON Marine Education program (through the White Boot School) 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, visiting scientists in residence over the summer, K-12 students participating in a variety of camps and programs, and visitors from the general public, providing an even richer REU experience.

REU program research areas vary year to year but include biogeochemistry, habitat forming species, ecosystem ecology, dissolved organic matter cycling, microbial ecology, behavioral ecology, invertebrate diversity and ecology, wetland science, and disturbance ecology.

• The ideal candidate should be interested in pursuing a career in coastal and/or marine science. They should also be creative, hard-working, detail-orientated, dedicated, and comfortable working as part of a research team. Experience with field or laboratory research is a plus but not necessary.‍

Candidates MUST be available for the entire ten-week period.**

• To be eligible, you must be returning to an undergraduate degree program in the fall (e.g., if you will graduate in the May or June before you wish to join the program, you are NOT eligible). Students from groups underrepresented in the sciences and students attending small colleges are encouraged to apply, as are first-generation college students.