A Center of Excellence in
Marine Genomics

Research Experience for Undergraduates
REU student at microscope

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The Whitney Laboratory Research Experience for Undergraduate program (REU), funded by the National Science Foundation (Site Award 0648969), offers an exceptional opportunity for the motivated undergraduate to participate in scientific research. If you are serious about science but have never had the opportunity to perform work as a scientist, then this program is for you.

In cooperation with a faculty supervisor, students choose a project that fits both their interests and ongoing investigations of the Lab and that can be completed within the eleven-week training period during the summer.


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See the 2012 summer interns

The 2013 session will be from May 28th through August 9th. The application deadline is February 15, 2013.

Undergraduates who qualify for the REU Program receive a competitive stipend, assistance with travel expenses, and free housing. Students must be a U.S. citizen or have permanent residency to qualify for NSF funding. Students from groups under-represented in the sciences (African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, and Pacific Islanders), first generation college students, women and non-traditional students are encouraged to apply.

To receive credit for their work at the Whitney Lab, students should make arrangements with their home institutions.

REU research-related activities include:

  • A research project mentored by experienced investigators
  • A weekly seminar by Whitney Lab faculty and post docs
  • Training in scientific communication (written and spoken) and scientific ethics
  • A seminar and interview with a former Whitney REU student
  • The REU Symposium - summer interns describe the results of their summer research in oral and poster presentations. The student with the best poster presentation is awarded an all expense paid trip to a national scientific meeting.
Hanna-Nelson-at-poster-smallOur 2012 REU poster presentation winner was Hannah Nelson, a Marine Biology major at Brown University in Providence, RI.  She trained with Dr. Brian Silliman on a project titled:  Oyster Reef Ecology:  Investigating the Effects of Multiple Predators and Prey-Size Preferences.  Hannah will receive an all expense paid trip to the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) which will be held January 2013 in San Francisco.  For more information about SICB go to: http://www.sicb.org/

 

REU activities outside the lab include:

  • Field trips to Florida's diverse aquatic ecosystems, including local beaches and estuaries, a fresh water spring and the Gulf of Mexico coast at Cedar Key
  • A visit to several graduate departments on the main UF campus in Gainesville

Click here to view a photo gallery of REU activities.

For further details, first check out the FAQs and if you still have questions, email Education Coordinator This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at the Whitney Laboratory.

When and how to apply:

Fill out the online application form and email the following items to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it before February 15, 2013:

  1. resume including a list of courses taken and the grades obtained (this does NOT have to be an official transcript
  2. letters of reference from two people able to evaluate your academic performance and potential.

For more information see FAQs.

The following projects are available to the REU program

(Please note that Dr. Martindale and Dr. Seaver are relocating to the Whitney Lab in January 2013 and will be accepting students for the Summer of 2013.)

If you have difficulty submitting your form online, you may mail or fax your form to:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Undergraduate Coordinator
The Whitney Laboratory
9505 Ocean Shore Blvd.
St. Augustine, FL 32080
(904) 461-4014, FAX (904) 461-4016