Intensive 10-11 week research training experience, 15 undergraduate credits from University of Washington.
$3000 in
support provided to each research apprentice.
Live and work at Friday Harbor Laboratories (FHL), world-renowned marine science research facility on 484-acre biological preserve, San Juan Island, Washington (75 miles northwest of Seattle).
Excellent student/faculty ratio: Each team of 5-12 students led by 1-4 faculty mentors plus 1-4 RAs (grad students or post-docs).
Intensive, full-time research training experiences are offered to qualified undergraduates and post-baccalaureates for 10-11 weeks (one full quarter) in Spring and Autumn Quarters. Two to four teams of 5-12 students each work on one focused research problem guided by a group of faculty, postdoctoral and graduate student mentors. Students selected for participation receive financial support ($3000) to defray costs for room and board at FHL and tuition charged by University of Washington.
There will be four options for Spring 2005 and three options for Autumn 2005. Applications are due on January 15th for Spring Quarter teams, and July 1st for Autumn Quarter. Students accepted into the program will register for 15 credits, and should consult with their advisor prior to registration.
"This award recognizes a program that gives University of Washington undergraduates a research experience of unique intensity, focus and independence. The Friday Harbor formula - three months at a superb marine biology field station, small research teams, dedicated faculty mentors - changes students' lives and launches careers in research."
Applications welcome from undergraduates or post-baccalaureates from any academic institution. Applicants do not need to be currently enrolled at the University of Washington or at any other university or college. See Application Information for further details.
There have been more than 300 Research Apprentices at Friday Harbor Laboratories since the program inception in 1999.
In a survey of all past Research Apprentices, 94% rated the value of the program to their career as "Excellent" or "Very Good."
"These apprenticeship courses are fantastic. They allow the student to actually participate in scientific research and show us the way to learn more than we had thought possible in one quarter."
"I would not trade the experience for anything. It changed how I view science completely."
"I learned how to collaborate with a group and work independently, gained experience in various scientific techniques and wrote my first scientific paper."
"I am so glad I had the opportunity to come here, it is the highlight of my year and something I never could have imagined beforehand. I feel privileged to have studied here."
"I learned about research by doing research . . . the best way!"
"This is an ideal place to study, live and research."
"I was expecting intense research, and it was definitely intense, but it was fun too."
"This was the most learning I have done yet in college. Keep this program!"
"Lots of hands-on experience, research and technology. Small class size and individual attention."
"This was one of the best ... OK ... THE best class I have ever taken. I learned a ton!"
"My experience at Friday Harbor will be something I will never forget. It was excellent ... a wonderful opportunity to have as an undergraduate."
"I learned an incredible amount of information this quarter in the most exciting new way."
"A wonderful and inspirational introduction to research!"
"It was an incredible experience ... It gave me the passion to stick with biology - the real work is not out of a textbook and my time at FHL really made that clear."
"I really can do independent research!"
"The facilities were fantastic as well. It was incredible to be permitted to use such powerful instruments to accomplish our tasks."
"With the small class size I was able to interact with the professors and RAs at a level I've never known before."
"Just an absolutely amazing experience - and fun!"
"These apprenticeship programs truly give students a taste of what research is like ... I am no longer intimidated by what graduate school involves, nor as scared of professors."
"I have learned so much and had a great time doing it."
"Great facilities, nice community, beautiful location, all the equipment!"
"The community at FHL has been a wonderful part of this experience. Living with people who love science and come to science with different backgrounds and perspectives has been wonderful. I have never been involved in a course I have loved so much and in which I have learned so much."
"It was great to have so much personal attention in this small group ... Gained great experience in giving presentations and presenting scientific papers ... I am proud of what I have learned and achieved."
"I consider my experience at FHL to be the most valuable of my academic career."
Spring Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
March 28 - June 4, 2005
Biology 499 F (15 credits)
Dr. Shaun Cain and Dr. James Murray
The overriding theme of this research team will be to develop new methods for studying the neural control of behavior in unrestrained, freely behaving animals. The team will focus on Tritonia diomedea because it represents a model system that will allow us to work out the methodological problems associated with recording from animals which are free to move about a fairly large space, and not restrained as in a typical lab setting. Apprentices will be exposed to a variety of techniques commonly used in neurobiological and neuroethological research, including anatomical, molecular, biochemical, electrophysiological and behavioral methods, as well as new techniques to record from cells in unrestrained animals. During the apprenticeship, each team member will be involved in conducting an original research project. Possible areas of investigation include:
For additional information contact: Dr. Shaun Cain or Dr. Jim Murray
Spring Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
March 28 - June 4, 2005
Fish 492 A (15 credits)
Dr. Don Gunderson and Dr. Art Kendall
University of Washington School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
In this apprenticeship we will focus on early life history, settlement processes, landscape ecology, and trophic interactions of marine fishes in the San Juan Islands, with reference to the successful design of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). A network of MPAs has existed in the San Juan Channel since 1990, and creates a natural laboratory in which to study the effects of Marine Protected Areas. Apprentices will also examine the policy implications of MPA design and implementation by attending monthly meetings of the San Juan County Marine Resources Committee, where marine fish conservation and the design and monitoring of MPA networks is a high priority. Enrollment limited to 8 apprentices.
For additional information contact: dgun@u.washington.edu
Note: Fish 492 will substitute for some degree requirements in the SAFS major and may be used to fulfill SAFS's Capstone Requirement. Please direct enquiries to Lin Murdock <linm@u.washington.edu>. Students in other majors and schools should check with their departmental adviser to assess how the credits may be applied.
Spring Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
March 28 - June 4, 2005
Biology 499 G (15 credits)
Dr. Billie Swalla
University of Washington
This apprenticeship will explore the link between innate immunity and metamorphosis. Our research suggests that the immune system is involved in several aspects of ascidian metamorphosis. The immune system appears to be important for the larvae to settle, to remodel its body plan, and, finally, to protect the animal from bacterial threats. Students can work on any of these three processes in ascidians, or study a different species to see if the same principles are acting in different invertebrate phyla during metamorphosis. This apprenticeship will entail working with diverse marine invertebrate phyla, looking at the evolutionary relationships of the species, isolating conserved immune genes by PCR, and examining expression in embryos and/or larvae by in situ hybridization. Some apprentices will do settlement assays with different bacterial strains, while others may do time-lapse videomicroscopy to watch immune cell migration. Each apprentice will learn the techniques of constructing phylogenies, isolating DNA, PCR, and in situ hybridization.
For additional information contact: bjswalla@u.washington.edu
or visit: http://faculty.washington.edu/bjswalla/
Spring Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
March 28 - June 4, 2005
Biology 499 H (15 credits)
Dr. Jim Truman and Dr. Lynn Riddiford
Our overall interest is in understanding how endocrine mechanisms have changed during the evolution of insects from their crustacean ancestors. The apprentice projects will focus on the developmental and behavioral endocrinology of a number of crustaceans and will use a basal insect, the silverfish, Thermobia, for comparison. Projects will be in a number of different areas and will involve learning endocrinological, immunocytochemical, imaging, and molecular techniques. There will be 3 major project areas:
For additional information contact: jwt@u.washington.edu or lmr@u.washington.edu
Autumn Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
September 26 - December 10, 2005
Biology 499 F or Bioengineering 499 F
(15 credits)
Dr. Pedro Verdugo and Dr. Wei-Chun Chin
Our discovery that polymers found in seawater can spontaneously assemble forming micron-sized gels (Chin et al Nature 1998) has introduced a new powerful paradigm that will fundamentally change the way oceanographers think about chemical, physical, and biological interactions of organic macromolecules found in seawater. The implications of these new observations range from modulation of metal ion chelation, to marine bacterial dynamics, and to carbon cycling, and global climate change (Wells, Nature 1998). In this team students will investigate:
Students will conduct a through review of the literature, and learn the theory and practice of the tools they will apply in their experiments. Using dynamic laser scattering spectroscopy, flow cytometry, and fluorescence microscopy, they will follow the assembly kinetics of marine biopolymers, swelling kinetics of secreted material during phytoplankton exocytosis, and study the kinetics of bacterial colonization of marine microgels. They will formulate mathematical models to formally describe these phenomena and will report their results in a manuscript.
Dr. Wei-Chun Chin will lead the team during a two-week period early in the quarter. Throughout the quarter, Michelle Herko will provide technical support to the research team.
For additional information contact: verdugo@u.washington.edu
Autumn Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
September 26 - December 10, 2005
Biology 499 G (15 credits)
Drs. Garrett Odell, Ed Munro and George von Dassow
Modern molecular biologists are rapidly cataloging and cloning the gene products that make cells work. Future scientists face the challenge of comprehending how interacting networks of such gene products actually conspire to endow living cells with all of their characteristic behaviors, the ability to divide and crawl, to sense and respond appropriately to their environment, to choose and elaborate specific developmental fates. To meet this daunting challenge, the next generation of biologists must learn to fuse experimental and computational approaches to become equally comfortable at bench and computer. This apprenticeship, sponsored by FHL and the new NIGMS Center for Cell Dynamics, is your chance to enter the future now with both eyes open. (NIGMS is the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, a division of NIH.)
Basic lectures and lab demonstrations will introduce all apprentices to fundamentals of empirical and computational analysis of gene network dynamics and cover specific topics including:
Apprentices will work in small groups investigating detailed case studies of specific gene networks at work both in living cells and in silico. Each study will be an intimate fusion of observation, experiment, and computer simulation. Each team will work closely with a faculty mentor to develop and carry out an intensive study of their chosen topic. Apprentices will become experts at public scientific speaking by making frequent presentations of their projects as they proceed, and by making a final, public seminar presentation. Possible topics include: (1) networks of regulatory and signaling molecules underlying specific examples of developmental pattern formation in various embryos; (2) cytoskeletal networks underlying e.g. cytokinesis, cell-cell adhesion, cell locomotion, morphogenesis.
Study organisms include fruit flies, nematode worms, ascidians, sea urchins and a host of other marine invertebrates.
There is no minimal requirement beyond a willingness to immerse yourself in a fascinating scientific problem and an enthusiastic determination to learn. We expect apprentices to come with a fundamental orientation towards experimental or computational biology and to get from their peers and the instructors a strong dose of what they don't yet know. Accordingly, we will choose class participants to bring a balance of skills to each working group. Grading is based on all aspects of course participation and on a combination written and oral presentation of projects. Enrollment limited to 12 students.
For additional information contact: munroem@u.washington.edu
Autumn Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
September 26 - December 10, 2005
Ocean 493 D (15 credits)
Dr. Jan Newton and Breck Tyler
The primary research objective of this course is to investigate the physical-biological coupling of oceanographic processes and biota in the San Juan Archipelago. This work is timely and important for several reasons:
In order to understand the functioning of the Basin's complex ecosystem, it is essential to determine which processes are predominant in shaping the physical environment. These will also determine directly the habitat available for prey and predator species. If these elements can be linked, it will be possible in the future to assess the status of regional biota by means of remote observing systems.
The primary educational goals of this course are to have apprentices examine the workings of a marine ecosystem from top to bottom in order to understand how coupling with oceanographic processes leads to spatial and temporal variation in biotic patterning. In fall 2004 we will use the natural laboratory of the waters adjacent to San Juan Island to begin to explore the mechanisms responsible for variability in the region. We will focus on two study sites in San Juan Channel, one in the dynamic outer Channel (near Cattle Pass) and the other in the broad inner Channel (northern end). Specifically, apprentices will be asked to:
Instructors are an interdisciplinary team. Dr. Jan Newton for oceanography (physical and biological) and Dr. Breck Tyler for upper trophic levels (seabirds, marine mammals) will be the lead instructors. Dr. Terrie Klinger has agreed to participate on average once per week to contribute knowledge of benthos, larvae, and local processes. We will recruit a graduate student RA from School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences to cover fish. We also plan to pull in a broad spectrum of guest lecturers, including other oceanographers, zoologists, and local experts.
For additional information contact: newton@ocean.washington.edu
"Our lives were immersed in science, meal times were filled with discussion about the day's results and new experiments in progress. Students from across the country joined us for brief periods, all with unique and interesting subjects of study."
"If you apply yourself, your time at FHL will be filled with a period of intense growth and development as well as advancement of your skills as a scientist. Working in the tight knit community will redefine your understanding of a team concept and open your eyes to the potential that a focused group with a singular goal can have.''
Many answers to questions about the Research Apprenticeship program can be found in the general FAQs and student FAQs. The following information refers specifically to the Research Apprenticeship program.
How is the financial support disbursed?
Each apprentice living on the FHL campus receives $3000 in support to help
defray their expenses for room & board at FHL, and tuition charged by
University of Washington. Expenses for room and board at FHL ($1342 in 2005)
will typically be deducted first from the $3000, and the remaining amount
will be assigned to students' accounts (at the University of Washington)
at the beginning of the term to defray tuition charges.
NOTE: Research Apprentices do not need to request financial aid in order to receive the $3000 in support awarded to all Apprentices, but may submit a request for financial aid if additional support is needed.
What are the expenses?
FHL ROOM AND BOARD --
$1342 TOTAL for Spring 2005 (10 weeks) or Autumn 2005 (11 weeks, less 3.5 days off for Thanksgiving*).
* Note: students may stay on campus during the Thanksgiving weekend, but generally the FHL Dining Hall will be closed on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day), Fri, Sat, and Sun morning, reopening for Sunday dinner - cooking facilities made available to students during this closure.
UW TUITION -- tuition rates are set by the University of Washington.
AUTUMN 2005:
$1870 tuition for Washington State residents (students not currently or recently enrolled at UW will be charged an additional $38 registration fee); STATE RESIDENCY: to determine if you are a Washington State resident for purposes of tuition, please review the information provided at the following University of Washington web site: http://www.washington.edu/students/reg/residency.html
$2890 tuition for non-residents not matriculated at University of Washington, registering for UW Extension credits (most visiting, non-resident, non-UW students choose this option). To receive UW Extension credit, visiting students are admitted to the University of Washington in non-matriculated status which means that an individual is not working toward a degree at the University of Washington but is earning credits that are probably transferable to another institution. Students may want to check with their home institution to ensure that this is an acceptable status.
$6636 tuition for non-residents matriculated at University of Washington.
ESTIMATED EXPENSE EXAMPLES for AUTUMN 2005:
Washington state residents: program costs will be $1870 tuition + $1342 room and board = $3212 total. The $3000 in support provided to each FHL Research Apprentice will cover all but $212 of these costs in Spring '05.
Out-of-state residents not matriculated at University of Washington, registering for UW Extension credits: (most visiting students choose this option), program costs will be $2890 tuition for Autumn Quarter + $1342 room and board = $4232 total. Thus for most out-of-state residents not matriculated at UW, the $3000 in support provided by FHL will cover all but $1232 in costs for tuition, room and board at FHL in Autumn '05.
Out-of-state residents matriculated at UW: program costs will be $6636 tuition + $1342 room and board = $7978. FHL will provide $3000 in support leaving an estimated balance of $4978.
NOTE: Students who face financial constraints may submit a request for additional financial assistance (only for those seeking assistance in addition to the $3000 awarded to all Research Apprentices). Additional financial aid is awarded on the basis of both financial need and academic merit.
TRANSCRIPTS: to receive a transcript for a course or apprenticeship completed at FHL, follow instructions provided at the following University of Washington web site: http://washington.edu/students/reg/transcripts.html#Q1
How can I learn more?
For additional information, please contact FHL Student Coordinator, Stacy Markman at
fhladmin@u.washington.edu or (206) 616-0753.
You may also check out the web site from a previous apprentice team:
Molecular Evolution of Multigene Families in Marine Invertebrates.
or review an article about the apprenticeship program.
2004 Apprenticeship archive.
General Information