Summer Research Opportunities - Apply Now!
Undergraduate* students are invited to apply for the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program with the Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research project. Our REU program begins May 27th and concludes August 1st. 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.
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 summer 2025. 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 2025:
Migratory Shorebird Ecology
Interested in wildlife conservation? 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 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.
Coastal Forest Ecology
The forest REU will be working at the Brownsville Preserve, where a forest is dying in response to sea level rise. An ecosystem-scale, long-term, multi-disciplinary experiment is being conducted on-site. During Fall 2024, trees were girdled (i.e. stripped of bark and cambium in a ring around the trunk) in seven large plots spanning a salinity gradient. Control plots were unmanipulated. The student on this project will collect long-term datasets on trees, shrubs, and herbaceous vegetation in girdled and control plots to contribute to our understanding of ghost forest formation and marsh migration in response to sea level rise. There will also be an opportunity for independent research to investigate the response of trees, shrubs, and grasses to natural saltwater exposure and ecosystem disturbance. We will work together to design this study.
Much of your time will be spent in the field. We love the beautiful maritime pine forests of the Eastern Shore! The forest ecology faculty mentor and graduate students visit frequently, on short trips, throughout the summer to work side-by-side and teach methods. Other work is done independently or in partnership with other REUs. You will learn to identify plants, describe plant cover, and use forestry and plant ecophysiology methodologies.
Two REU opportunities are available to contribute to this forest study.
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).