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 Scripps 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 2013:

• Investigating CaCO3 dissolution/dissolution rates in the context of ocean acidification (Prof. Andreas Andersson)
  
• Cycling of biologically active trace metals in marine systems (Prof. Katherine Barbeau)
• Evolutionary genetics and molecular ecology of marine organisms (Prof. Ron Burton)
• Biochemical characterization of light producing compounds (bioluminescence and fluorescence) (Dr. Dimitri Deheyn)
• Physical science of climate and climate change; the role of aerosols and meteorological clouds (Prof. Amato Evan)

• Phytoplankton photosynthetic physiology and ecology; Applications of ocean optics and satellite remote sensing in coral reef ecology (Dr. B. Greg Mitchell)

• Whale acoustics; analyses of long-term Southern California fin whale songs recordings and fin whale song pattern description (Dr. Ana Sirovic)
  

• Paleomagnetic studies of sedimentary core records from continental margins (Prof. Jeff Gee)

• Tracing pollution in near shore marine systems and examining changes in near shore foodwebs (Prof. Carolyn Kurle)
  
• Ecology of coastal and deep sea benthic ecosystems, ecosystems responses to climate change (deoxygenation, acidification) (Prof. Lisa Levin)
• Applications of magnetic measurements on local igneous rocks to examine the record of the magnetic field during the Cretaceous (Prof. Lisa Tauxe)
• Characteristics of microbial communities in deep-ocean trenches (Prof. Douglas Bartlett)
• Terrestrial volcanology and geochemistry (Prof.James Day)
• Physical oceanography or climate modeling (Dr. Art Miller)
  
• Petrology and isotope geochemistry of the post-subduction magnesian andesites from Baja California, Mexico:  Implications for the origin of continental crust (Prof. Paterno Castillo)
  
• Marine Natural Products:  Drug Discovery from Cyanobacteria (Prof. William Gerwick)
• California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigation:  Characterization of the abundance and distribution of micronekton assemblages in the California Current (Dr. Tony Koslow)
  
• Marine Microbiology, microbial diversity, drug discovery (Dr. Paul Jensen)
  
• Climate change impacts on the California Current Ecosystem, especially marine zooplankton  (Prof. Mark Ohman)
• Geochemical analysis of marine sediment cores related to climate change and productivity (Prof. Richard Norris)
• Physical Oceanography/Air-Sea Interactions (Prof. Ken Melville)
  
• Characteristics of reef growth, coral settlement and community composition across the islands of the central Pacific; responses of marine organisms to ocean acidification/distribution and ecology of invasive seaweeds along the CA coast (Prof. Jennifer Smith)
• Molecular-level examination of the interactions between cyanobacteria and some protozoan predators; investigations of swimming motility in marine cyanobacteria (Dr. Bianca Brahamsha)
• Aquatic Ecosystem Ecology: Intra-specific variation in thermal tolerance of zooplankton collected from the Yosemite lakes/Investigating the effect of sea-level rise on salt marsh communities (Prof. Jon Shurin)
  

• Climate Studies: Using observation and numerical model results to analyze the variability of air-sea exchanges of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the California Current Ecosystem.  The goal of this research is to determine the impact of various physical and biological processes on the ocean carbon cycle. (Dr. Ariane Verdy)

More information about the  areas of research and projects at Scripps 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.