Undergraduate education is one of our highest priorities at Blandy Experimental Farm. Since 1992 Blandy has provided Undergraduate Research Fellowships to students interested in ecology and environmental science. We have been aided in this effort by funding from the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. Our primary goal is to teach students to formulate testable hypotheses about important ecological and evolutionary questions. The format of the program encourages students to develop skills in experimental design, data collection, analysis, and critical reading of primary scientific literature. Students also learn to prepare and communicate scientific information to other scientists and the general public.
Our program exposes students to a diversity of research projects that collectively illustrate how natural systems function and how science progresses. Through the course of the summer, we provide students with information on various career options in ecology and the environmental sciences. Each award will include a stipend of $700 per week (totaling $7,000), additional funds for purchasing groceries ($160), free housing, and a budget for research supplies and research activities. Funding for your travel to and from the site (near Boyce, Virginia) is also available.
