Gibraltar Island, OH College juniors and seniors who want to add a research project to their resume can begin their research career this summer at Ohio State University’s Stone Laboratory. The lab’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Scholarship Program offers students from all over the country the opportunity to lead an in-the-field research project while experiencing life at a working outdoor research facility on Lake Erie’s Gibraltar Island. Interested students should visit stonelab.osu.edu/reu to learn more and apply soon-the deadline for applications is Wednesday, February 22.

Stone Lab’s REU Program connects upper-level students with top scientists to learn the ins and outs of research during a five-week project. Participants use scientific equipment, explore the Lake Erie islands, and collect important data to help solve the most pressing issues for the Great Lakes region. In previous summers, students have studied the interactions between native and invasive fish species, the spread of Emerald Ash Borer across the Lake Erie islands, and the causes of the lake’s "Dead Zone."

Undergraduates selected via the highly competitive application process receive a full scholarship that includes tuition for the two semester-credit research experience and a five-week, four-credit course beginning June 17, lab fee, and room and board.

Students spend their "non-class" days focused on research. Working closely with their research supervisor, students collect data, learn how to write up their discoveries, and give a final presentation to their peers. Involvement can even continue beyond the summer, as students have the opportunity to attend local and regional conferences and co-author scientific journal articles about their research.

This summer, students will lead the following projects:

• Reproductive biology and early life history of fishes (Ichthyology)
• Survival rates of birds of the Lake Erie islands (Ornithology)
• Dissolved oxygen in Lake Erie; tracking the "dead zone" (Limnology)
• Nutrient loading (Eutrophication) and algal production (Limnology)
• Fisheries techniques; research and fish survey development
• Efficiency of developed snake deterrents (Herpetology)
• Biological curation; phylogeny and taxonomy

For more information contact Chris Winslow, Ohio Sea Grant Assistant Director, at winslow.33@osu.edu or call 614-247-6684.

Located on the 6.5-acre Gibraltar Island in Put-in-Bay harbor, Stone Laboratory is Ohio State University’s Island Campus on Lake Erie and the education and research facility of the Ohio Sea Grant College Program. Established in 1895, Stone Laboratory is the oldest freshwater biological field station in the United States and the center of Ohio State University’s teaching and research on Lake Erie. Stone Lab offers 25 college-credit science courses each summer for undergraduate and graduate students, advanced high school students, and educators. For information on Stone Laboratory, visit stonelab.osu.edu .