Nine students from universities across the country are participating in a 10-week paid research fellowship to gain first-hand experience alongside Institute of Water and Environment faculty and graduate students. Students will work with mentors in labs and in the field on assigned projects while getting professional development experience.
The summer cohort is the first of the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), Understanding Coastal Ecosystems – From the Everglades to the Coral Reefs. They’ll examine the connectivity between Everglades wetlands, coastal mangrove forests, seagrass beds and shallow coral reefs.
The overall goal is to detect the sources, transport and transformation of ecosystem stressors and the response under rapidly changing climate and land use. Students will attend cohort sessions – poster practice, oral presentations and engagement with STEM professional panels – with other undergraduate researchers. The experience will culminate in a presentation of findings during the annual Student Research Symposium.
The 2019 REU students:
- Harrison Mancke (Florida International University), will be working with Dr. Jone Corrales, Dr. Todd Crowl, and Rose Santana.
- Jonathan Chapman (University of Hawaii at Hilo), will be working with Dr. Jone Corrales and Rose Santana.
- Christopher Donohue (Florida International University), will be working with Dr. Francisco Fernandez-Lima.
- Harbria Gardner (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University), will be working with Dr. Piero Gardinali, Steven Landeweer, and Brian Ng.
- David Banisakher (St. Leo University), will be working with Dr. Leonardo Bobadilla, Dr. Gregory Reis, and Alejandro Torres.
- Kai Scarangella (Hamilton College), will be working with Dr. Michael Ross and Melinda Paduani.
- D’Shaunique Walters (University of the Virgin Islands), will be working with Dr. Tiffany Troxler and Marbelys Garriga.
- Ivanna Ortiz Rivera (University of Puerto Rico), will be working with Dr. Jose Erin-Lopez and Javier Rodriguez-Casariego.
- Samiris Suleiman (University of Puerto Rico), will be working with Dr. Alex Mercado.
FCE-LTER also welcomed two REU students, Andreina Contreras and Joshua Linenfelser, who will be working with FCE researchers Dr. John Kominoski and Dr. Jennifer Rehage during the summer.
Take a look at the schedule for the coastal ecosystems REU site.
