Collaborative Research: REU Site Mystic Aquarium: Plankton to Whales: Consequences of Global Change within Marine Ecosystems

This REU Site award to Mystic Aquarium, located in Mystic, CT, will support the training of 30 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2024-2026. Research is conducted at the University of Connecticut’s (UConn) Avery Point campus, Groton, CT which currently hosts the Mystic Aquarium laboratories and collabortive partner UConn’s Department of Marine Sciences.

Research will focus on how marine organisms and their ecosytems are affected by global change, such as climate change. Professional Development activities and opportunities will occur at Mystic Aquarium. It is anticipated that students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from an under-represented group, will be trained in the program.

Students will learn how research is conducted, will present their findings for both scientific and public audiences and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Assessment of this program will be done through an online tool. Students should apply to the REU site using NSF ETAP (Education and Training Application).

The REU program focuses on how global change, such as climate change, affects marine animals and their ecosystems. Students will be mentored by Aquarium and UConn scientists that specialize in aquatic animal physiology, behavior, and ecological processes. Each student project will focus on a different trophic level in the marine ecosystem, with all students working together to address the overarching question of how changes in the environment can affect the marine ecosystem.

Field trips to the Mystic Aquarium will be a major component of this immersive experience, including but not limited to educational tours, animal and ecosystem exhibit observations, job shadowing, ethics/responsible conduct of research, and a science communication workshop. Motivated students should apply on-line (https://etap.nsf.gov) and will be selected based on a personal statement of their interest in marine sciences, academic record, letters of recommendation, and brief explanation of desired research focus areas.

Communication with prospective project mentors in advance is encouraged. More information and details about the program is available by contacting the PIs (Dr. Tracy Romano or Dr.

Michael Finiguerra). This project is jointly funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure in the Directorate of Biological Sciences, and Polar Special Programs in the Directorate of Geosciences.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.