General Information

Mountain Lake Biological Station's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU-Sites) program is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (DBI 0453380; 2010 funding is pendong) and brings undergraduate students from around the country together for an exciting ten-week summer program of guided, but independent, original research in field biology.

Mountain Lake Biological Station strongly values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity in all its programs. Women and men, and members of all racial and ethnic groups, are encouraged to apply.

All expenses are paid and participants take home a stipend of $5,000 (pending NSF approval).

Student researchers work closely with researcher mentors in compatible fields of interest. Students take leadership roles in all aspects of the study; they design the study and prepare the proposal, collect data and perform analysis, and finally they interpret the results and prepare a written and oral presentation. Compared to many other REU programs, ours offers a high degree of independence in project choice and design.

Mountain Lake is also special in its exciting, diverse, and friendly academic community. This atmosphere fosters collaboration at all levels, and promotes the constant exchange of ideas with fellow students and scientists. Many projects are submitted for publication in leading biological journals. Students also participate in a weekly seminar about the conduct of biological research. REU participants have access to state-of-the-art facilities and are granted full use of all Station scientific and computer equipment.

The program supports ten positions each summer. Applicants should have course experience in fields such as ecology, behavior, and evolution. A letter of recommendation from a teacher or someone who can comment on how you would do at a field station and as an independent researcher is more important than your GPA. Your own essay on the application is of highest importance and gives us insight into your experiences and goals. Most REU students have completed two or three years of college. Students who have completed only one year are probably better served by taking a course or two at the Station and then returning as an REU in the following year. This is a common, and encouraged, strategy.

Current Project Opportunities - Potential Mentors and Research Programs Accepting REU Students for this Summer.

Program Dates
This coming summer's program dates are given at the top of this page.
Participants should plan to arrive anytime on the day before the program starts. Meal service starts with breakfast (7:30am) on that day. Checkout is required by 1:00pm the day after the final day of the program. The last meal served is lunch on that day.

Housing
Program participants live together in dormitory-style single-sex cabins and have meals in the dining hall with all the other students and researchers working at the Station.

Finances
All room and board expenses are covered by the program. Participants pay no fees or tuition charges. There is a budget to cover participant project expenses, and a limited budget for travel to and from MLBS. Participants may submit requests for travel and project costs when the program does not cover them directly. Participants are awarded a "take-home" stipend of $5,000 (pending NSF approval).




Eligibility
NSF-supported REU participants must be current undergraduate students and must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An undergraduate student is a student who is enrolled in a degree program (part-time or full-time) leading to a baccalaureate or associate degree. Students who are transferring from one college or university to another and are enrolled at neither institution during the intervening summer may participate. Students graduating in the May before the program are not eligible for the MLBS REU-Sites program. Participants must be "returning to an undergraduate program" after the summer REU program. (click here for NSF eligibility language).

Application Procedure and Requirements
Applications to the program must be submitted using the "On-line Application" and "On-line Reference" web forms (links below) by the deadline date. Applications are evaluated based on three critical components. Incomplete applications can not be considered:

1) A one-page (600 word) essay written by the applicant. The essay should stress (a) the experiences that qualify you for this research internship, (b) your interests and professional goals, and (c) what you hope to achieve by spending the summer at Mountain Lake. The essay must be included in the "On-line Application" form.

2) Course list, grades, and GPAs. List of undergraduate courses you have taken that especially add to your preparedness for an REU at Mountain Lake. These should be your most advanced biology or field-oriented courses that focused on ecology, evolution, or other areas. Course information must be included in the "On-line Application" form.
NOTE - In order to reduce time, effort, and paper for everyone, there is no need to send a full transcript or resume at this time. However, during the final evaluation process "finalists" will be asked to verify course information by US Mail, fax, or attachment. Please be prepared to provide transcript material to us quickly anytime after the application deadline. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.

3) One recommendation from a research mentor, academic advisor, or science instructor who knows you and your potential for research well. Nonacademic or “community” referees (e.g. coaches, religious leaders) are much less valuable. Recommendations should be submitted using the "On-line Reference" form.

Academic Credit
REUs can not enroll in courses while participating in the REU program. But up to 12 hours of UVA academic "Research Credit" can be received while participating in the REU program. See the "Courses" page for registration and credit-hour cost information. Applicants interested in this option should contact the station during the application period to make special arrangements.

For More Information and details about the structure of the program, download the REU Handbook (PDF).

Application Deadline
All application material must be received by February 20.

Contact
REU Coordinator
Mountain Lake Biological Station
University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400327
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4327 USA

tel:  434-982-5486
fax: 434-982-5626
eml: mlbs-reu@virginia.edu
web: mlbs.org/REU.html

Other MLBS Opportunities
For those not interested in the REU program, but who are interested in a Research Assistantship summer position, please click here.

Other REU or Summer Research Programs at UVA
Our two sister field stations - Blandy Experimental Farm and Anheuser Busch Coastal Research Center may also offer summer research programs for undergraduates.

See NSF's web site for details on the NSF REU program and a current list of other REU Site programs in biology. Also see programs offered by the NSF UMEB program.