With funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Mary Gates Endowment, and other sources, Friday Harbor Laboratories (FHL) is pleased to offer research training opportunities for undergraduates and recent post-baccalaureates.
The program's parameters:
Intensive
research training experience, undergraduate credits from
University of Washington.
Students facing financial constraints in any quarter may apply for financial assistance from FHL. Awards are based on both financial need and academic merit.
Students from University of Washington may be eligible for funding from the Mary Gates Endowment for Students ($3000 for a 15-credit FHL research apprenticeship or $1200 for a 6-credit research apprenticeship).
Students from University of Washington, Gonzaga University, Oregon State University, Montana State University and University of Montana might be eligible for support from Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Live and
work at Friday Harbor Laboratories, 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 5-16 students led by 1-3 faculty mentors
plus 1-2 Research Assistants (RAs are grad students or post-docs).
Intensive, full-time research training experiences are offered to qualified undergraduates and post-baccalaureates in Spring and Autumn quarters. One to four teams of 5-16 students each work on one focused research problem guided by a group of faculty, postdoctoral and graduate student mentors.
Applications are due on January 10th for Spring Quarter teams and July 1st for Autumn Quarter. Students will be registered for credits through Universit of Washington. Students 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 are 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.
In a survey of all past Research Apprentices, 93% 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."
"This is an ideal place to study, live and research."
"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!"
"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!"
"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."
Part of the "ZooBot Quarter" at Friday Harbor Labs consisting of three courses, 16 total credits:
1)
Marine Benthic Ecology Research Apprenticeship (Biol 499, 6 credits)
2) Marine Zoology (Biol 430, 5 credits) and
3) Marine Botany (Biol 455, 5 credtis).
Co-registration required in all three courses.
Click here to learn more about the ZooBot quarter.
Spring Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
March 30 - June 5, 2009 (10 weeks)
Mon-Fri, 8-5
Arrive Sunday, March 29 after 3 pm, depart Friday, June 5 after lunch.
Dr. Kevin Britton-Simmons
UW - Friday Harbor Laboratories
Dr. Megan Dethier
Department of Biology - University of Washington
The Marine Benthic Ecology (MBE) apprenticeship is designed to accompany the Marine Zoology and Marine Botany courses.
Meeting times: All quarter, integrated with Biol 430 and Biol 445; 5 days a week, all day.
This apprenticeship will take a broad approach to the study of the ecology
of intertidal organisms. Apprentices will learn basic marine ecological principles
through lectures and readings, receive a primer in ecological sampling design
and statistics, and study the natural history of shoreline organisms on field
trips. Each student will select an independent research topic to perform in
the field, laboratory, or both; examples include interactions between introduced
seaweeds and native herbivores, the adaptive significance of morphological
variation in marine invertebrates, variation in rates of recruitment of juvenile
clams onto beaches. The apprenticeship will be integrated with the Marine Zoology/Botany
program; students must register for all three. Enrollment limited to 15 students.
Learning Objectives and Skills
At the end of this apprenticeship (and the two concurrent integrated biology
courses), apprentices will:
Enrollment limited to 16 students. Co-registration in Marine Zoology / Marine Botany is required.
Visit the Student Costs page for information about expenses you can anticipate.
For additional information contact: mdethier@u.washington.edu
Spring Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
March 30 - June 5, 2009 (10 weeks)
Mon-Fri, 8-5
Arrive Sunday, March 29 after 3 pm, depart Friday, June 5 after lunch.
Dr. Kristin Sherrard
Center for Cell Dynamics (CCD),
Friday Harbor Laboratories
Dr. Ed Munro
Center for Cell Dynamics (CCD),
Friday Harbor Laboratories
Dr. Francois Robin
The Developmental Biology Institute of Marseilles (IBDML)
Marseilles, France
Photo: Dr. Kristin Sherrard
Morphogenesis, the process by which embryonic cells build and elaborate
tissues and organs, involves some of the most exquisite and complex behaviors that cells
ever perform. Biologists have identified much of the molecular machinery that cells use
to generate and transmit forces during morphogenesis. Modern molecular genetics allows
us to perturb this machinery in very precise ways, and exciting new advances in
microscopy allow us to observe the organization and dynamics of this machinery during
cellular morphogenesis in both normal and perturbed embryos. But understanding how
the cytoskeletal and adhesive machinery operates across many cells to generate these
movements is a daunting task, requiring the integration of information both about sources
of force generation and context of deformation in response to forces.
The goal of this course is to introduce students to a modern integrated approach to the study of cellular morphogenesis, one that combines advanced microscopy and molecular genetic perturbations with detailed computer simulations that predict global patterns of cell shape change and rearrangement from empirically motivated assumptions about local machinery. During the first part of the course, lectures and lab demonstrations will cover fundamental concepts in cell and developmental biology, microscopy, cell mechanics, etc., the basics of working with ascidian embryos, and introduce apprentices to using simulations as a way to explore complex cellular dynamics. During the second part of the course, apprentices will develop research projects with faculty members, focused on case studies of cellular morphogenesis, combining experimental and computational approaches. Some possible topics include: (1) cellular basis for ascidian neurulation; (2) role of adhesion in invagination; (3) contractile dynamics during cortical rotation in the zygote. In addition, we will help apprentices to develop skill at public scientific speaking by asking them to give weekly presentations, culminating in a final, public seminar presentation.
Prospective apprentices should have at least a year of calculus, an introductory biology
course, a willingness to immerse themselves in a fascinating scientific problem and an
enthusiastic determination to learn. We expect apprentices to come with a fundamental
orientation towards either experimental or computational biology and to get from their
peers and instructors a strong dose of what they don’t yet know.
Enrollment limited to 8 students.
For information about previous courses at the Center for Cell Dynamics, see www.celldynamics.org/celldynamics/courses/index.html
Additional information
Visit the Student Costs page for information about expenses you can anticipate.
Beam Reach Program: Marine Science and Sustainability School. This program will convene at UW-Friday Harbor Laboratories in spring and autumn quarters in 2009. They are separate programs which are not Research apprenticeships.
Beam Reach is an intensive 10-week-long "voyage" divided about equally between the Friday Harbor Labs and a sailing research vessel. Students conduct independent research projects that use bioacoustic techniques to explore endangered killer whales, their prey, and their environment. Our silent biodiesel-electric catamaran enables pioneering research and also offers adventure, collaborative and leadership training, sustainable technology demonstrations, and increased environmental awareness. Dr. Val Veirs and Dr. Jason Wood.
Ocean 492 (15 credits)
Autumn Quarter, Research Apprenticeship
September 28 - December 11, 2009 (11 weeks)
Mon-Fri 8-5
Arrive Sunday, Sept. 27 after 3 pm, depart Friday, Dec. 11 after lunch.
Dr. Jan Newton
University of Washington
Breck Tyler
University of California, Santa Cruz
Dr. Sandra Parker-Stetter
University of Washington
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. We used 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:
Research projects to be determined by student and faculty. Enrollment limited to 16 students.
For additional information contact: Dr. Susan Thistle or Dr. Emily Carrington.
"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.
What are the expenses?
Spring Quarter Costs
Autumn Quarter Costs
When are Research Apprenticeships offered?
Research apprenticeships are offered only in spring and autumn
quarters -- not in summer.
How can I get transcripts?
Follow instructions provided at the following University of Washington web site: http://washington.edu/students/reg/transcripts.html#Q1
How can I learn more about the apprenticeship program?
For additional information, please contact Stacy Markman, FHL Student Coordinator, at
fhladmin@u.washington.edu
or (206) 616-0753.
Application instructions >>
Review an article about the apprenticeship program.
2008 Apprenticeship descriptions.
2007 Apprenticeship descriptions.
2006 Apprenticeship descriptions.
2005 Apprenticeship descriptions.
2004 Apprenticeship descriptions.
General Information