Summer Intern Program

Each year the Summer Intern Program - Research Experiences for Undergraduates at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) places 12 undergraduates with faculty mentors for a summer research experience. Internships are available in many areas of marine science, including marine biology and ecology; biological, geological, chemical, and physical oceanography; environmental science; fisheries; and resource management.

The program is funded by the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, VIMS, William & Mary (W&M), private donors, and grants to individual faculty. The NSF contact for this program is Lisa Rom, elrom@NSF.gov or 703-292-7709. NSF does not handle REU applications; please contact each REU site directly for application information (visit "How To Apply" for the VIMS REU application).

All students, including those traditionally under-represented in the marine sciences, are encouraged to apply. In general, rising juniors and seniors are preferred for the traditional REU because of their better course preparation, but we will also consider rising sophomores who have enough science and math background (e.g., AP or other advanced courses in high school) to benefit from an earlier research experience. Some advanced placement courses will show up on your college transcript. If they do not, please be sure to mention what you've taken in the "other comments" section of the application.  

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive community of marine scientists. We want people from all cultures and all backgrounds to feel welcome at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Undergraduate student participants supported with NSF funds in either REU Supplements or REU Sites must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States.

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science, located in Gloucester Point, Virginia, is one of the largest coastal and estuarine science institutions in the world, with more than 50 faculty and a graduate student body of more than 75. VIMS houses state-of-the-art oceanographic instrumentation and analytical facilities, a large fleet of coastal research vessels, a world-class marine science library, and is close to a variety of habitats ranging from freshwater tributaries to the coastal ocean. The School of Marine Science is a part of William & Mary, one of the most highly rated public universities emphasizing undergraduate education in the United States.

Are you a former intern visiting the website? If so, please send us an update! Also, find us on Facebook - VIMS Summer Intern REU Alumni.

Anti-racism statement

All forms of racism, explicit and implicit, have no place at VIMS, and we believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical for achieving and maintaining excellence. We recognize that we, as the VIMS community and as individuals, must work to be actively anti-racist. It is therefore incumbent that we all work towards an institution that has racially diverse faculty, staff, and student bodies, and also to proactively dismantle the historic and institutional blockades to a diverse field of marine science. This is fundamental to a just, resilient, and innovative society, which ultimately will enhance the research, education, and advisory missions of VIMS. We commit to being anti-racist through institutional change, education, engagement, and activism. Looking forward, we are committed to moving toward an anti-racist culture at VIMS through many large and small efforts.