Scripps Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

What is the SURF REU program?

SURF is a 10-week summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) designed to engage students in diverse and exciting Earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences research at a world-renowned institution. In particular, the SURF program seeks to increase the diversity of students successfully prepared to pursue Earth and ocean sciences career pathways, and to recruit individuals from institutions with limited undergraduate research opportunities. SURF is supported with funding from the National Science Foundation, Division of Ocean Sciences.

Students will:

• Gain valuable research experience under the collective mentorship of faculty, post-doctoral researchers and graduate students
• Gain an understanding of the challenges, rewards and culture of graduate studies in the sciences
• Develop knowledge and skills to better prepare themselves for a successful graduate research career
• Engage with the larger UCSD undergraduate research community
• Attend weekly scientific seminars and graduate school training workshops
• Present their research results as part of a student research symposium
  

Areas of Research:

The disciplinary breadth represented by the faculty and researchers at SIO allows mentoring in virtually every aspect of marine and earth science, and related disciplines. The following areas of research are available for SURF Fellows for 2012:

• Molecular studies of biogeochemical cycles in aquatic environments (Lihini Aluwihare)
• Cycling of biologically active trace metals in marine systems (Katherine Barbeau)
• Evolutionary genetics and molecular ecology of marine organisms (Ron Burton)
• Biochemical characterization of light producing compounds (bioluminescence and fluorescence) (Dimitri Deheyn)
• Chemistry of carbon dioxide in seawater (Andrew Dickson)
• Global heat transport in the polar ocean (Sarah Gille)
• Ecology of coastal and deep sea benthic ecosystems (Lisa Levin)
• Ecology, physiology and genomics of marine microalgae (Brian Palenik)
• Identification of organic functional groups in atmospheric aerosol particles (Lynn Russell)
• Applications of magnetic measurements to help solve geological and archaeological problems (Lisa Tauxe)
• Characteristics of microbial communities in deep-ocean trenches (Douglas Bartlett)
• Dynamics of selected zooplankton-phytoplankton interactions (Dave Checkley)
• Exploration of marine microorganisms for the discovery of natural drugs for the treatment of human disease (William Fenical)
• Development of chemical sensors for seawater measurements (Todd Martz)
• Geochemical analysis of marine sediment cores related to climate change and productivity (Richard Norris)
• Development of global bathymetry and gravity models (David Sandwell)
• Antarctic phytoplankton as a model system to assess climate change in high-latitude ecosystems (Maria Vernet)

More information about the SURF areas of research and faculty mentors can be found here.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Established in 1903, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is one of the pre-eminent centers for marine and earth science research, education, and public service in the world. The excellence of physical, chemical, biological, geological, and geophysical studies of the oceans and earth at SIO is reflective of its vital research programs, distinguished faculty and research scientists, and outstanding facilities. The Scripps campus is located on 170 acres along the coastal bluffs of La Jolla Shores in San Diego, CA. SIO is a department within the University of California, San Diego and shares in the academic program, research expertise and acclaim of the broader campus. The SIO community numbers approximately 1,300 people, including about 85 faculty and more than 300 other research scientists. There are approximately 240 graduate students enrolled as doctoral students, and several dozen more enrolled in various masters programs. For more information about SIO, please visit the website.