Education and Outreach
 

Undergraduate Research Opportunity in Renewable Energy

NSF REU Site in Ocean Current based Electricity Production (2017-2019)
NSF REU Site in Marine Renewable Energy (2020-2023)

Florida Atlantic University is hosting an intensive summer research program focused on science and engineering challenges related to the environmentally friendly creation of electricity from marine renewable energy resources.

Ocean currents off the Southeast U.S. represent an untapped energy source with a technically feasible power production potential estimated at 19 GW in U.S. waters. The time average energy densities in this ocean current reach 3.3 kW/m2 off Florida's east coast, several times greater than the most energy dense wind resource in the U.S. The on-campus research will focus on three technical challenges associated with harnessing this and other marine renewable energy resources: resource assessment, system design and operation, and environmental impacts.

Watch a brief interview with the director of this REU, related to ocean current energy production, here.

YOUR FLORIDA EXPERIENCE

  • This paid, 10 week program focuses on training, mentoring, research and providing students with an exciting summer experience that will prepare them for graduate studies or careers in engineering and science.
  • Participants will typically work 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day with an hour for lunch.
  • Student development and training events held one to two times per week.
  • Undergraduate researchers are paid $600 along with a $150 meal allowance, per week.
  • Apartment-style dormitory housing will be provided to participants on FAU's Boca Raton or Harbor Branch campuses. Student project will dictate home campus.
  • Suggestions for making the most out of your South Florida visit and Research Experience have been provided by the 2017 REU class.
  • If Covid-19 restrictions/precautions do not allow for an in-person REU then we will offer a Virtual/Remote REU. For this program we will offer the $600/week stipend, but not the $150/week meal allowance or housing.

2023 Research Experience for Undergraduates: Projects

2022 Research Experience for Undergraduates: Projects and Participants
2021 Research Experience for Undergraduate Projects and Participants
2020 Research Experience for Undergraduate Projects and Participants
2019 Research Experience for Undergraduate Projects and Participants
2018 Research Experience for Undergraduate Projects and Participants
2017 Research Experience for Undergraduate Projects and Participants
  • The following 10 projects were completed during the summer of 2017.

  • Resource Assessment: Regional Oceanic Modeling
    Project Lead: Laurent Chérubin, Ph.D.
    Affiliated Home Campus: Harbor Branch
    Affiliated Department: Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
    REU Scholar: Mary Avis Burnam
    REU Scholar Home Institution: University of Georgia
  • Resource Assessment: Eye-safe Animal Detection
    Project Lead: Anni Vuorenkoski Dalgleish, Ph.D.
    Affiliated Home Campus: Harbor Branch
    Affiliated Department: Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
    REU Scholar: Sophie Waxenberg
    REU Scholar Home Institution: Penn State
  • Resource Assessment: AUV Based Resource Measurements
    Project Lead: Manhar Dhanak, Ph.D.
    Affiliated Home Campus: Boca Raton
    Affiliated Department: Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering
    REU Scholar: Carlos Orozco
    REU Scholar Home Institution: University of North Texas
  • Turbine Design: Resilient Turbine Design
    Project Lead: Ionut Cardei, Ph.D.
    Affiliated Home Campus: Boca Raton
    Affiliated Department: Department of Computer & Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
    REU Scholar: Antony Soriano
    REU Scholar Home Institution: California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
  • Turbine Design: Biology Inspired Energy Harvesting
    Project Lead: Oscar Curet, Ph.D.
    Affiliated Home Campus: Boca Raton
    Affiliated Department: Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering
    REU Scholar: Adam Rangwala
    REU Scholar Home Institution: Washington University in St. Louis
  • Turbine Design: Composite Rotor Blade Design
    Project Lead: Hassan Mahfuz, Ph.D.
    Affiliated Home Campus: Boca Raton
    Affiliated Department: Department of Ocean and Mechanical Engineering
    REU Scholar: Alexander J. Gonzalez
    REU Scholar Home Institution: Florida Atlantic University
  • Environmental Impacts: Eye-Safe Animal Detection
    Project Lead: Fraser Dalgleish, Ph.D.
    Affiliated Home Campus: Harbor Branch
    Affiliated Department: Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
    REU Scholar: Linnie Booz
    REU Scholar Home Institution: Penn State
  • Environmental Impacts: Automated Animal Classification
    Project Lead: Bing Ouyang, Ph.D.
    Affiliated Home Campus: Harbor Branch
    Affiliated Department: Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
    REU Scholar: Kelvin Pang
    REU Scholar Home Institution: UC Berkeley
  • Environmental Impacts: Turbine/Animal Strike Impact Study
    Project Lead: Marianne Porter, Ph.D.
    Affiliated Home Campus: Boca Raton
    Affiliated Department: Biological Sciences
    REU Scholar: Doug Werry
    REU Scholar Home Institution: Wheaton College
  • Environmental Impacts: Electrosensory Sensitive Species Study
    Project Lead: Stephen Kajiura, Ph.D.
    Affiliated Home Campus: Boca Raton
    Affiliated Department: Biological Sciences
    REU Scholar: Olivia Beres
    REU Scholar Home Institution: Washington University in St. Louis

HOW TO APPLY

Please utilize the NSF Education and Training Application tool to register after December 21st. This can be accessed here.

DATES

Application window opens: Dec. 15, 2022
Application deadline: Feb. 23, 2023
Applicants will be notified of acceptance: On or before Mar. 2, 2023
Start date: May 30, 2023
End date: Aug. 4, 2023

CONTACT

For additional information please contact James VanZwieten at jvanzwi@rjval.com.
To print the NSF REU SNMREC Ocean Current Energy Flier, click here.

FUNDING

This REU Site is funded through the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates program (2017-2019: EEC-1659468; 2020-2023: EEC-1950123)


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Additional Information
Florida Atlantic's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute engages with the community through the Ocean Discovery Visitors Center and the Ocean Science Lecture Series. Harbor Branch’s research and outreach programs translate marine science in order to provide solutions that improve economies and quality of life for coastal communities.
Address
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Florida Atlantic University
5600 US 1 North
Fort Pierce, FL 34946