RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES

Summer 2025 dates will be announced soon!

ABOUT LUMCON’S REU PROGRAM

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 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.

See the current LUMCON REU Mentors and Project Opportunities by clicking the link.

STIPENDS AND OTHER FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Interns pay no facility fees or tuition charges and receive:

A stipend of $6,000 for the 10-week program (paid every 2 weeks)
Free housing and meals at the DeFelice Marine Center
Funds to partially or fully cover travel costs to and from LUMCON from their home or university

ACADEMIC CREDIT

Students participating in REU internships are often eligible to receive academic credit from their home institutions. Program participants may be interested in exploring this possibility. A number of LUMCON REU alumni have also continued building on their projects after returning to their home institutions with many of these efforts resulting in senior or honors theses.

ELIGIBILITY

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.

More eligibility details are in our REU Program Handbook.

CONTACT AND FAQ’S

Please feel free to contact Dr. Brian Roberts, our REU Program Director, if you have any questions about the program and/or the application process. Please see our REU Program FAQ document for answers to frequently asked questions.

HOW TO APPLY

Application deadline: March 1, 2024

Applications should include:

Completed application
Copy of unofficial transcripts
Contact information for two academic references
CV/resume
One-page statement that describes your interest in the REU position, academic goals, and any previous research experience
Two recommendation letters

Funding for this REU site is provided by the National Science Foundation’s Division of Ocean Sciences located in Arlington, VA (Award number: OCE-2150358). The NSF contact for this program is Elizabeth Rom. NSF does not handle REU applications; please contact each REU site directly for application information