From Estuaries to the Deep Sea

 June 20 - August 26, 2023

NOTE: All OCE-funded REU sites must give students until March 15 or LATER to accept their offers regardless of the application deadline. In other words, March 15 is the earliest possible deadline for student acceptance (later deadlines are fine). 

Each summer, Oregon State University (OSU) offers paid research internships for undergraduate students that the National Science Foundation funds.

  • Student interns are located on the Pacific coast and focus on marine and estuarine sciences at the Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC) and Port Orford Field Station.

Students spend nine to ten weeks working on individual research projects and participating in group field trips, seminars and science colloquia under the guidance of university and research agency scientists.

If you want to apply what you've learned in the classroom to real-world problems, then a research experience in marine and estuarine sciences may be right for you! We welcome applications from students with backgrounds and interests in any of these areas: biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, environmental science, mathematics, computer science or engineering. 

While students work independently with their research mentors, there are numerous opportunities to interact with other scientists and students at the HMSC in Newport and other departments on the OSU campus in Corvallis through orientation, weekly seminars, group field trips, social events and final project presentations. Lists of potential mentors and project research areas appear below.

REU Application Details

DATES: June 20 - August 26*, 2023 at both Hatfield Marine Science Center and at the Port Orford Field Station on the Oregon coast. 

Each REU fellow will receive: Stipend (~$612/week), *housing on-site, and *round-trip transportation to Oregon.  

HMSC offers a particularly broad range of undergraduate research opportunities and applications in marine and estuarine science.

ELIGIBILITY: We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment for all participants in our program. We strive to support students from a diversity of majors, colleges, backgrounds and life experiences in our cohorts.

Students from community colleges and universities where research opportunities are limited and from groups underrepresented in marine and coastal science are welcome and encouraged to apply.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and must be currently enrolled in college with a minimum of one term remaining after the summer program toward a bachelor’s degree. 

DEADLINE: Tuesday, February 14, 2023, 5 PM PST until filled.

APPLICATION Notifications: All applicants will be notified when the selection process has completed. All OCE-funded REU sites must give students a minimum of March 15 or LATER to accept their offers regardless of the application deadline. In other words, March 15 is the earliest possible deadline for student acceptance (later deadlines are fine). We anticipate invitations to accepted students in the first week of March.

Questions: For more information on the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in marine and estuarine science, please contact Itchung Cheung, OSU HMSC REU Program Director or call 541-867-0380.

Summer research internships in the earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences are also available at OSU's College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS). For more information on these internships, visit the CEOAS internship website.

FUNDING: Funding for this REU site is provided by the National Science Foundation’s Division of Ocean Science located in Alexandria, VA. (NSF OCE-1758000 and OCE-2150154). The NSF contact for this program is Elizabeth Rom. NSF does not handle REU applications.