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The RESCoPE program aims to provide undergraduate students who face barriers to entry into research with valuable first-hand experience. This is accomplished through a combination of independent research, workshops, training sessions, seminars, and field trips. Working with program partners, department faculty, and graduate students allows fellows to gain exposure to research in academia as well as in governmental and non-profit entities. The program is cohort-based, promoting fellows to interact and form social connections with their cohort-mates. Fellows are encouraged to participate in additional graduate and REU projects to gain additional exposure to research during the program.
Research
The core of the REU is research. Fellows are assigned a mentor or small group of mentors who they work with during the program to develop, perform, analyze, and present a research project. Projects are often tangential to ongoing research in a given mentor's lab, so be sure to take a close look at the program mentors and projects from previous fellows.
At the end of the program, fellows have the opportunity to present their findings at the Georgia Southern College of Science and Math Summer Research Showcase. Additionally, fellows are encouraged to leverage program funding to present their research at scientific conferences and meetings after the conclusion of the REU program.
Workshops and Trainings
The RESCoPE program aims to develop aspiring scientists through not only research, but also through a variety of professional development opportunities such as workshops and training sessions.
The program includes workshops on the creation and presentation of research products, study design and statistics, finding graduate schools, literature search techniques, EndNote, CV creation, and more. Fellows acquire professional certifications in IACUC and responsible research ethics. In previous years, fellows have gained bacterial and chemical monitoring certificates through Georgia Adopt a Stream. These opportunities are curated to prepare fellows for their next steps toward a career in coastal plain science!
Field Trips
The RESCoPE program emphasizes the importance of direct exposure to research by visiting a number of program partners for field trips. In the past, cohorts have visited five of Georgia's barrier islands, the Okefenokee Swamp, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, coastal South Carolina, and a variety of local field sites. These trips showcase the diversity of habitats in the southeastern coastal plain and allow fellows to see research being conducted outside of an academic setting. Further, field trips allow fellows to gain experience in a number of hands-on professional skills such as electrofishing, plant identification, coastal restoration, specimen collection, and field identification. Field trips range from day-long visits to multiple night stays.
Seminars
Fellows are fully engrained in the Georgia Southern Department of Biology, meaning that they are able to attend regular departmental seminars. These events, which highlight faculty, graduate students, and visiting scholar research, allow fellows to learn about topics outside of their research area and better understand the expectations of graduate research projects.
In addition to normally-held departmental seminars, RESCoPE fellows also attend a number of "Lunch and Learn" sessions which are a smaller and more intimate opportunity to learn from program partners, program alumni, and graduate students.
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