Summer Research Opportunities for 2026 are now available!
Undergraduate* students are invited to apply for the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program with the Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project. Our REU program begins in late May and concludes in early August. It includes work on a focal research project, help with our long-term sampling initiatives, and occasional professional development sessions. It will also provide you with the opportunity to be part of the vibrant research community at UVA’s Coastal Research Center in Oyster, VA. These are paid, mentored research opportunities, and housing is provided. Participants receive a $6,000 stipend for the 10-week program.
Read about the benefits of working with an LTER site.
Applications are due by February 15th at midnight.
*To be eligible for this program, you must have at least one semester of undergraduate studies remaining after the summer you participate. Only US citizens are eligible for this federally funded research program.
We aim to extend offers for participation in early March.
>> Click here to apply. <<
Projects available for 2026:
Migratory shorebird ecology on Virginia’s rapidly changing barrier islands
Lead researcher: S. Karpanty, Virginia Tech | Grad mentor: Casey Manera
We seek an REU student interested in wildlife conservation to join us in our long-term research on the ecology of migratory shorebirds on Virginia’s barrier islands. Our work encompasses all of the barrier islands in Virginia each May, and the northern islands of Metompkin through Assateague for the full summer. We seek to understand what factors affect the abundances and distribution of migratory shorebirds and their invertebrate prey, with particular attention to the drivers on stabilized islands (e.g. Wallops Island) versus unstabilized islands. We have been collecting data in this system since 2006, so your efforts will be part of a long-term monitoring of migratory shorebirds in this system.
You will live at UVA’s coastal research center (CRC) in May, if you want to start early (not required to do this part), and then primarily at a field house near Chincoteague Island for the remainder of the summer, with some trips and weekends at the CRC. You will work with a M.S. student and other research technicians from Virginia Tech’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, as well as our partners at the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and NASA Wallops Island Flight Facility (WFF). You will have to pass a background check to be able to work with us at NASA WFF.
Daily, you will walk the islands to count birds, sample prey, and collect elevation and other physical and weather data. You will sort and count invertebrate samples in the lab. Some field work will involve walking long distances in adverse conditions, including heat, humidity and biting insects. This type of fieldwork will require the use of a boat, possibly ATVs, and hiking over sand, salt marsh, and other coastal environments to access field sites. Additional responsibilities include assisting with the operations and maintenance of project-related equipment, such as all telemetry equipment, boat, trailer, ATVs, and trucks. You may be trained to conduct project-related analyses in ArcPro, such as supervised habitat classifications. You will be trained to contribute to data organization and management, including data download and data input while in the field and at the office. You will work closely with other land management organizations, including assisting with other related projects as needed. We do work a varied schedule, as fieldwork is highly dependent on weather and tides. Weekend and holiday work may be expected. We will work with you to develop and implement and present a research sub-project as an REU student.
Good to know: We want to help the student develop their REU project around their interests within the context of our long-term work.
Coastal Forest Ecology
Lead researcher: K. Gedan, George Washington University
Two projects with the Gedan research group focus on forest ecology along the coastal 
where salt water is pushing into the forest, creating changes within plants and the plant community.
Adaptations to salinity -- How are coastal trees adapting to salinization in the forests of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, as more frequent high tide flooding and storm tides inundate and salinize the forest edge? Building on past research, in which we have found changes in leaf morphology and water conservation by trees, this project will use a transplant treatment to investigate the effect of growth conditions on plant leaf and growth traits. We will also investigate the role of maternal effects (i.e. how the environment of the mother tree shapes the response of the offspring to salinity stress). Grad mentor: Juan Martinez
Plant physiology -- We are investigating the plant physiological response to salinization associated with sea level rise and saltwater intrusion. This project will investigate the effect of salinization of coastal trees on plant photosynthesis. The project will involve using a photosynthesis system (LI-6800) to measure photosynthetic rates of samples collected from the field. Grad mentor: Riley Leff
Good to know: This research group loves field work! You can expect to spend a lot of time in the forest - a fascinating ecosystem that can also be hot and very buggy.
Oyster Reef Ecology - sponge interactions
Lead researcher: M. Castorani, University of Virginia | Grad mentor: Chris Oxley 
Oysters and the parasitic sponges that live on them both exhibit the unique ability to inhabit two different niches depending on their habitat. My research focuses on why oyster reefs develop intertidally or subtidally depending on their environment. A student will complement this research by trying to understand why a sponge species that burrows into oysters, Cliona celata, can either live as a parasite or as a large, free-living organism depending on where it lives. It’s not well understood how the presence of these two life history strategies varies between different habitats or what environmental conditions give rise to each of them. A student will help survey populations of Cliona celata across oyster reefs and seagrass meadows in the Virginia Coast Reserve (VCR), the largest expanse of pristine coastal wilderness on the east coast, to determine where parasitic and free-living boring sponges are found and what environmental traits give rise to them. The student will have an opportunity to formulate their own research question for this project such as comparing the distribution of boring sponge to other sponge species in the VCR, comparing spicules (needle-like structures in sponges) between parasitic and free-living boring sponge, or surveying the prevalence of oysters infested with boring sponge at different oyster reefs. At times, the student will also assist with my ongoing oyster research and with the long-term seagrass sampling initiatives for the VCR Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project. This position is based at the UVA Coastal Research Center in Oyster, VA.
Good to know: Another student from the University of Virginia will also be assisting with this sponge survey project. Both students will need to be able to work together during field surveys, and carve out their own portion of the project to focus on for analysis. I would also like for a student to provide lab and field assistance for 1-2 weeks in July for my ongoing oyster research.
Guidance for preparing your application:
- You will be asked for basic background and demographic information.
- Share information about your prior research experience (if any), how you have handled failure, and other important context about your academic or life experience (500 words maximum per prompt).
- Successful applications often include
- Explanations for your interest in a project (and what you led you to those interests).
- Justification for why now is a good time in your academic studies to complete this research program - what prior experience are you building upon, and what new experience do you hope it will help you gain? What will help you be successful in this program? How will it help you along your career path towards other goals? How would participation be formative for you?
- Context that helps us understand your fit for this program or how you have addressed challenges that might have arisen in the past (e.g. that impacted your GPA or your developing interests).
