900 Shackelton Point Road, Bridgeport, NY 13030; phone: (315) 633-9243

Research Experiences In Biology/Ecology For Undergraduates

OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: The Cornell Biological Field Station (CBFS), with The Department of Natural Resources offers 11 week undergraduate research internships from late May through mid-August.  This program offers exciting opportunities for students to collaborate on research with a mentor scientist conducting ecological investigations on a wide variety of ecosystems.

A SETTING FOR EXCELLENCE: For the duration of the internship program, students live and work and work with up to 9 other interns at CBFS. The Field Station is a highly interactive, research-oriented environment. Students will exchange ideas with each other, staff scientists, Cornell campus faculty, and speakers at a weekly seminar. The Cornell Biological Field Station is a well-equipped facility located on the south shore of Oneida Lake, NY. The Station is located 12 miles northeast of Syracuse, and is only a 20-minute commute to shopping centers, Hancock International Airport, and the Amtrak train station. The Field Station is recognized nationally and internationally for its research accomplishments in basic and applied ecology.

THE PROGRAM: The objective of the program is to provide students with hands-on research experience including hypothesis formation, experimental design, data collection, and interpretation and presentation of results. Weekly seminars will explore current topics in ecosystem research and environmental problems. Each intern will be selected in program areas matching their interests and will be expected to: 1) work collaboratively with a selected mentor on an on-going research project; 2) participate in discussions and weekly seminars; 3) enroll for research credit in the fall semester to prepare an oral presentation for a formal DNR intern symposium and a final paper for inclusion in a CBFS publication. Recent intern projects included:

Lake Sturgeon distribution and habitat selection * Interactions between the alien zebra mussel and native hexagenid mayflies * Changes in the inshore fish population over time in Oneida Lake, NY * Common Tern breeding biology *  Determine the effectiveness of herbicide treatment on the invasive Water Chestnut * Investigate the effects of light and temperature on the freshwater shrimp, Mysis relicta *  Groundwater and plant interactions at the Oneida Lake shoreline

Interns will receive three credit hours in the fall semester for their summer research, oral presentation, and write-up of paper.

TO APPLY: E-mail questions to either Drs. Ed Mills (elm5@cornell.edu), Lars Rudstam (lgr1@cornell.edu), or Randy Jackson (jrj26@cornell.edu), or by phone, (315) 633-9243. An application can be downloaded, completed and e-mailed to JoAnne Getchonis - jgg4@cornell.edu. Undergraduate freshman, sophomores, and juniors are eligible to apply.