Marine and Aquatic Research Experience: A Program for Undergraduates Studying Estuaries
Abstract
Since 1998, the Marine and Aquatic Research Experience (MARE) Program for Undergraduates has been conducting an on-going ecological and oceanographic survey of a coastal plain estuary, Winyah Bay, SC. MARE is a student-generated, faculty-guided model for hands-on research designed to apply classroom learning to real world applications. The overall goal of MARE is to create field-based learning opportunities for students while at the same time encouraging them to become scientists and to practice being scientists from conception to planning, to execution, to presentation of scientific research. To achieve this goal students work in "crews" within MARE which try to answer specific questions about the estuary. These crews share resources, ideas, and data with each other to produce a comprehensive database for the estuary. Involvement in MARE is strictly voluntary and not a requirement of a degree program. Also, MARE was established as part of the student natural interests and not as part of a professor's regular research. Another important feature of MARE is ownership. The research done and efforts made belong to the members of MARE. Although the role of faculty involvement in MARE is important through the use of their expertise, equipment, laboratories, and funding, the students are fundamentally responsible for organizing, conducting, and managing their own scientific investigations. However, along with this ownership of the scientific products of MARE comes responsibility for any mistakes made. In this sense the MARE members learn from real, not classroom mistakes. The ability to prepare for and deal with frustration and adversity in real-world situations is also an important component of MARE. The MARE research effort has been broken into crews with specific scientific directions. The biological oceanography crew has been primarily concerned with determining the species diversity of the Winyah Bay ecosystem. The physical oceanography and suspended sediment crews are trying to understanding the circulation and mixing of water masses and suspended matter throughout the estuary. The chemical oceanography crew has focused on the concentration and dynamics of nutrients. Recent additions to MARE include a geological processes crew and a remote sensing crew. An overview of the results to date and future research directions will be displayed and discussed.
- Publication:
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AGU Spring Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- May 2001
- Bibcode:
- 2001AGUSM..ED21B08J
- Keywords:
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- 1871 Surface water quality;
- 4235 Estuarine processes;
- 4855 Plankton;
- 6605 Education