Summer Intern (REU)

Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Each year the Summer Intern Program - Research Experiences for Undergraduates at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) places up to 10 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 main contacts for the VIMS REU program are the program director, Rochelle Seitz, and program coordinator, Gina Ralph. For all inquires about the VIMS REU program, please use the emails intern@vims.edu. The NSF contact for this program is NSF staff member Maria Uhle (muhle@nsf.gov). NSF does not handle REU applications; please contact each REU site directly. For the VIMS REU program use the email intern@vims.edu for application information. Visit "How To Apply" for the VIMS REU application.

All students, particularly those from non-research institutes who can most benefit from our opportunity, 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.  

 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 Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences 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.