The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center invites highly motivated undergraduates who are interested in pursuing careers in the life sciences to apply to our 10-week "Wetlands in a Modern World" summer internship program (see program flyer).

Wetlands are among the most functionally important ecosystems on Earth but are being impacted at unprecedented levels.

In this summer program students will employ a modern integrative approach to wetland science that makes use of recent technological and theoretical developments across the geochemical, biological, and physical sciences.

Students will conduct research at NGRREC’s state-of-the-art field station in Alton, IL and local field sights situated at the confluence of the Mississippi, Illinois and Missouri rivers. Under the mentorship of NGRREC scientists students will gain experience in project design, field and lab-based research methods, data collection and analysis, and present results as a scientific paper, participate in a poster session at NGRREC Neighbor Nights, create a scientific poster, and showcase their project at our annual NGRREC-REU research symposium to increase science communication skills.

• Participants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its territories.
• Participants must have a GPA over 3.0.
• Only undergraduate students are eligible. An undergraduate student is a student who is enrolled in a degree program (either part-time or full-time) leading to a bachelor's degree. Students who graduated from their institution prior to the summer program are not eligible to apply. Students who are transferring from one institution to another and are enrolled in neither institutions during the intervening summer, may participate. High school graduates who have not yet enrolled and students who have received their bachelor's degree and are no longer enrolled as an undergraduate student are not eligible
• Members of underrepresented or underserved minority groups; students with disabilities; first-generation college students; students with limited opportunities for research experiences, and others who would contribute to diversity in other ways are encouraged to apply.
• If selected, students must work full-time in our program and participate in all activities during the duration of the 10-week program, including some weekends.
• Selection to the program is based on academic standing and matching of each students’ background and interests with the program.