
Applications are due Wednesday February 15th (midnight ET).
National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) positions are available with the Virginia Coast Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research (VCR-LTER) program for summer 2023. VCR-LTER researchers study patterns and mechanisms of ecosystem function, connectivity, and state changes in the coastal barrier system – from mainland marshes to intertidal and subtidal bay habitats and barrier islands. Along with focusing on one of the specific projects listed below, REUs also help collect data for ongoing long-term field projects.
REUs spend the summer in a thriving research community; the VCR-LTER is based in the small town of Oyster on Virginia’s Eastern Shore – one of the last coastal wildernesses on the east coast. The 10-week program begins the first full week of June. REUs are provided a stipend ($5,500) plus on-site lodging and research support administered through the University of Virginia. More information about VCR-LTER research initiatives and potential advisers can be found in Research Highlights at www.vcrlter.virginia.edu. Applicants seeking more information about specific projects may contact potential mentors directly. Program and application questions can be directed to Dr. Cora Baird, the program coordinator, at coraj@virginia.edu. Applications are due February 15th and offers will be extended beginning March 6th.
Please read through the project opportunities below. All projects are based at UVA’s Coastal Research Center on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
To apply, complete the application available here: https://virginia.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1ZWzEIxZYpvT1Q2
- Application elements you should be prepared to provide:
- Information about you, your education, your grad school interests or preparation
- Describe your existing research experience
- Briefly describe your interest in each of up to 2 projects, including information about relevant coursework or experience that has prepared you for this research, and how participation would advance your academic and career goals. (500 words max per project)
- Upload a resume or CV (include your last name in the file name)
- Contact information for one reference
- (Optional) upload transcripts; unofficial are fine
- Describe how you have handled failure, responded to pressures, or learned from mistakes. (500 words max)
- Share anything else we should know when considering your application
- *Participants must be US citizens.*
If you belong to an institution that is a member of the VA-NC Alliance for Minority Participation, you may also apply through the Alliance here: https://lsamp.virginia.edu/current-opportunities .

Projects available for summer 2023
Shorebird population response in a rapidly changing ecosystem – Dr. Sarah Karpanty, VTech
The Virginia barrier island system along the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula provides an ideal setting for studying the response of coastal systems to climate-driven large-scale events, such as storms, and long-term trends, such as sea-level rise. The system is highly dynamic—it experiences high rates of sea-level rise and shoreline erosion that affect the elevation and structure of the dunes on the islands. These physical changes to the environment ultimately affect the vegetation and animal communities on the island, including shorebirds and their predators. This coastal system is a regional hotspot for breeding piping plovers (Charadrius melodus), the northern extent of breeding Wilson’s Plovers (Charadrius wilsonia), and supports the largest breeding population of American oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Studies of these species in the context of other long term monitoring conducted in the VCR LTER project provides the unique opportunity to investigate how shorebird demography may signal ecosystem change and inform resilient coastal management. Our project aims to quantify how shorebird populations respond to this rapid, climate-driven ecosystem change by relating shorebird habitat use and breeding success to changing dune structure, vegetation communities, and predator populations. It also specifically investigates the drivers of American Oystercatcher reproductive success on Metompkin Island, the most important breeding location for the species on the Atlantic and Gulf and a site where reproductive success once thrived but has recently declined. In 2023, we will also be adding a second island study site, either Fisherman Island or Cedar Island, to offer a comparison to data collected on Metompkin Island.
Good to know: This project does involve some very long field days and irregular work hours depending on the animals’ behaviors (early mornings, work on weekends). You must be willing and capable of working outside daily under sometimes rigorous conditions (heat, humidity, biting insects) and walking up to 10 miles per day over sand while carrying research equipment (~ 20 lbs. maximum). Details will be discussed with the field team before the start of the season.
Coastal forest response to Sea Level Rise: Nurse log effects on regeneration – Dr. Keryn Gedan (GWU) and Dr. Alex Smith (SERC)
The forest REU will work 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. The student will collect long-term datasets on trees, shrubs, and herbaceous vegetation 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 role of nurse logs in tree recruitment and forest regeneration. The research will study how downed wood shapes the soil topography and abiotic environment, and whether this favors seedling survival of trees.
Good to know: Most of your time will be spent in the field. The research mentor and graduate students visit on several short trips throughout the summer to work side-by-side and teach methods. Other work is done independently or in partnership with other REUs. Study sites are accessed by hiking through coastal forest, where conditions can be hot and buggy.
Coastal forest response to Sea Level Rise: Shrub influence on decomposition – Dr. Keryn Gedan (GWU)
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. The student will collect long-term datasets on trees, shrubs, and herbaceous vegetation to contribute to our understanding of ghost forest formation and marsh migration in response to sea level rise. In recent years, there has been a rapid expansion in wax myrtle shrubs, a nitrogen-fixing species, in the forest understory. The REU will continue an ongoing decomposition experiment to investigate the role of wax myrtle effects on the decomposition of several forest litter types.
Good to know: Most of your time will be spent in the field. The research mentor and graduate students visit on several short trips throughout the summer to work side-by-side and teach methods. Other work is done independently or in partnership with other REUs. Study sites are accessed by hiking through coastal forest, where conditions can be hot and buggy.