SSU REU 2026

This project is part of a summer REU program in marine sciences in Savannah, Georgia, that emphasizes early undergraduate participation (freshmen and sophomore), to target students during a critical time in their STEM career. The project includes a 2-day research cruise opportunity for these undergraduate students aboard a UNOLS vessel for estuarine and pelagic research experience. This REU provides a first research experience to bright young scientists who are not traditionally considered for an REU. Moreover, this opportunity to conduct high-quality oceanographic research is in an environment that is accommodating, nurturing, and educationally diverse. In targeting students with no prior research experience, the SSU REU provides them with the necessary skills to successfully complete their project. This will yield small cohorts of students who will become the next generation of research oceanographers. The broad range of faculty mentor qualifications, experience, and facilities at SSU and its research partners provides additional intellectual merit for every REU project, thus broadening each participant’s experience. The cruise will include all the participants, PI, co-PI, graduate assistant, and additional faculty mentors whose research utilizes coastal/estuarine field sampling. The cruise provides participants with direct, collaborative experience working with the science and ship’s crew, off-shore sampling and data collection, and common oceanographic instrumentation and equipment (e.g., CTD, grab core, plankton nets). These experiences provide opportunities for some interns to develop research ideas for their own projects but serve also as a common bonding experience for all the students conducting science together. This is annually rated highest in the post-program assessments. The 91-foot UNOLS research vessel Savannah operated by SkIO has space for 18 and provides the ideal platform for short-term/ offshore research cruises.