Undergraduate Research Training

The Whitney Laboratory offers research training in marine bioscience and biotechnology to students interested in exploring a career in science. We provide a hands-on experience in the exciting areas of cellular, molecular, and neurobiology.

In cooperation with a faculty supervisor, students choose a project that fits both their interests and ongoing investigations and that can be completed within a ten to twelve week training period.

Students typically work during the summer but may work at other times during the year. The 2008 summer session will be from May 27 through August 8. The application deadline for the summer session is February 15, 2008.

Undergraduates who qualify for the Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, receive a competitive stipend, assistance with travel expenses, and a housing allowance. Students must be a U. S. citizen or have permanent residency to qualify for NSF funding.

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

For further details, write to Dr. Barbara Battelle at the Whitney Laboratory.

When and how to apply:

Part I

Fill out the information form.

Part II

Applications should be sent at least two months in advance of the anticipated starting date. The deadline for applying for summer positions is February 15.

Applications should contain the following items:

1. a resume including a list of courses taken and the grades obtained;
2. letters of reference from two people able to evaluate your academic performance and potential;
3. a letter briefly describing your interests and goals and how work at the Whitney Laboratory would help you to achieve these goals; and
4. a list of the two or three projects at the Whitney Laboratory that interest you the most, with an explanation of your selection.

Choose from these projects

• Physiology and Biochemistry of Olfaction (Barry Ache)
• Structure and Function of Ion Channels (Peter Anderson)
• Biochemistry of Vision (Barbara-Anne Battelle)
• Plasticity and Homeostasis in Motor Systems (Dirk Bucher)
• Membrane Physiology (Bill Harvey)
• Molecular and Cell Biology of Complex Systems (Paul Linser)
• Neurogenomics, Nanotechnology and Neuronal Evolution (Leonid Moroz)
• Synaptogenesis and Synaptic Physiology (Kim Epley)
• Structure and Function of Neuropeptide Receptors (David Price)
• Cellular Neurobiology and Signal Transduction (David Zacharias)

Applications should be sent to:
Undergraduate Coordinator
The Whitney Laboratory
9505 Ocean Shore Blvd.
St. Augustine, FL 32080
(904) 461-4000, FAX (904) 461-4052

Contact us:

The Whitney Laboratory
9505 Ocean Shore Blvd.
St. Augustine, FL 32080

904-461-4000
Fax: 904-461-4052
Email us