Marine Biology Research

Marine biology is an exciting field, with lots of opportunities for research and fieldwork. While this site is focused on providing information about marine biology, all of these opportunities are excellent summer options for any student interested in plants, animals, ecology, and evolution. If you are open to the possibility of a research career studying any of these topics, please check out the opportunities below. Also, please do not hesitate to reach out to me (Dr. Farina, stacy.farina@howard.edu) for more information. I am happy to share information about careers in ecology, evolution, animal physiology, and marine biology, as well as information about current research in these areas at Howard University.

Summer REU Internship at Friday Harbor Laboratories

The REU (“Research Experience for Undergraduates”) at Friday Harbor Labs is a paid summer internship (stipend, travel, and housing for 8 weeks) in marine biology. It is well suited for current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors that are interested in an eventual research career in marine biology, ecology, or evolution. In addition to our exciting research projects planned by our mentors, we provide extensive professional development, including workshops on graduate school applications and funding, scientific communication, resume-building, and networking. Our mentors have a track record of supporting students professionally, long after the program has ended, and many of our alumni are currently enrolled in fully-funded MS and PhD programs. Last summer, we had three interns from Howard University, and I am happy to provide you with their contact info, if you want to hear about their experiences. This summer's research projects include topics such as eelgrass ecology, functional morphology of fishes, kelp community ecology, 3D modeling of vertebrate anatomy using micro-CT, behavioral ecology of marine vertebrates, thermal physiology of marine invertebrates, and others. The application deadline is February 1, and one letter of recommendation is due by February 8.

General information: https://fhl.uw.edu/research/summer-research-internships/   

Application: https://fridayharborlabs.wufoo.com/forms/x8p25ci0rq4x7y/    

Contact: stacy.farina@howard.edu

Summer REU Internship at the Marine Biological Laboratories

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) invites undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing careers in the life sciences to apply to the NSF-REU Biological Discovery in Woods Hole program. Faculty with expertise in molecular and cell biology, neurobiology & behavior, physiology, developmental biology, and evolutionary biology will guide ten highly motivated undergraduate students in this National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF REU) program. Each undergraduate student will be placed in the laboratory of an MBL research scientist and fully participate in all laboratory exercises and activities. The program will provide a stipend of $600 per week, and room and board for the duration of the program. For priority consideration, applications are due by February 15, 2020. Students from small colleges or from underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply. Although the admission committee may continue to review and accept applications up until March 10, 2020, it is strongly suggested that your completed application be received by February 15, 2020 to allow time for consideration of your entire file. The admission committee reserves the right to suspend admission any time after February 15, 2020 if the program is filled. Students will begin to be notified by the end of March, 2020.

Link: https://www.mbl.edu/education/undergraduate-programs/reu/

Contact: NSFREU@mbl.edu

PEP Summer Research at Woods Hole

The 2020 Woods Hole Partnership Education Program (PEP) is a ten-week intern program hosted by six Woods Hole Science Institutions in collaboration with the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore (UMES). The program targets undergraduates (especially rising juniors and seniors) and runs May 31 through August 8.   

PEP combines course work with directed independent research in earth and ocean science. PEP interns spend 4 weeks in a summer course that surveys global climate change and participate in a five-day research cruise aboard the Sea Education Association Research Vessel Corwith Cramer, studying the oceanography of the New England continental shelf. 

 PEP covers all costs of travel, room and board, research expenses, the research cruise, and four hours of undergraduate credit (via our academic partner, UMES). PEP students receive a $4,500 stipend at the end of the program. Pending the results of a grant proposal, we anticipate accepting 16 students into the 2020 PEP cohort. PEP especially encourages applications from students who are members of groups historically underrepresented in marine and environmental sciences, and from students at institutions where research opportunities may be limited (Tribal Colleges, HBCUs and HSIs).

Link: https://www.woodsholediversity.org/pep/

Contact: George.Liles@NOAA.gov

The Oregon Institute of Marine Biology’s REU program: “Exploration of Marine Biology on the Oregon Coast" (EMBOC) will be accepting 10 students, five from 2-year colleges and five from 4-year colleges, to conduct research this summer (June 14 – August 15, 2020) at the University of Oregon’s marine lab. REU students will develop individual marine research projects in one of our eight faculties’ labs and participate in weekly seminars, professional development workshops, and social activities from exploring local marine habitats like rocky shores and sand dunes to touring other institutions that specialize in marine science.Please pass on word of the EMBOC program to any interested undergraduates, particularly those from 2-year colleges that will have an intro. biology sequence under their belt by summer. For more information about the program and how to apply, please see our website http://oimb.uoregon.edu/oimb-reu. The application deadline is Saturday, February 15, 2020.

PATHWAYS Internship Finder

If you want to identify more internships that interest you, check out the Pathways to Science database, which contains thousands of internship programs across the country: https://www.pathwaystoscience.org/programform.aspx