Program Components
Marine Lab Research
The Duke University Marine Lab part of the program involves two components: course work and directed research with a faculty mentor.
- Scholars will enroll in courses based on their specific interests; these courses will provide depth of knowledge and experience in a specific area of marine science and conservation.
- Scholars will be expected to be an active part of their faculty mentor's lab group. Scholars will carry out scientific research at the Duke University Marine Lab as a research independent study with their faculty mentor. We expect that each project will culminate with an honors thesis and ultimately result in a publication.
Scholars will spend at least one semester at the Marine Lab campus, although we encourage scholars to spend as much time as they would like at the Marine Lab campus.
Funding Opportunities
Rachel Carson Scholars will be eligible to apply for:
- Research funding (up to $2,500)
- Conference funding to participate in a professional scientific meeting (up to $1,500)
- Travel course funding (up to $1,500; funds can be used for research funding if not used for travel course)
Professional Development
During the fall semester of their senior year back in Durham, Rachel Carson Scholars will join the Scholars in Marine Medicine and the Repass-Rodgers Scholars in bi-weekly seminars, professional development workshops, and networking events. Scholars will benefit from workshops on writing skills, science communication, graduate education, and career opportunities. Senior scholars will also be involved with mentoring the new class of scholars in Durham to prepare them for their Rachel Carson Scholar Program experience and research at the Duke University Marine Lab.
Graduation with Distinction
In the spring semester of their senior year in Durham, scholars will write up their research projects as an honors thesis for Graduation with Distinction. The ultimate goal is for publication of their research results in a peer-reviewed journal. Scholars will participate in writing workshops during the semester and will also share their research results by presenting to other scholars.
Participation Timeline
Sample timeline for Rachel Carson Scholars accepted in their sophomore year:
- October of sophomore fall: apply
- Sophomore spring or later: courses and research at the marine lab (at least one semester of research)
- Senior fall: professional development in Durham (CVs, networking, graduate school, etc.)
- Senior spring: write honors thesis for Graduation with Distinction
Meet the Scholars
Current Scholars
Class of 2025 |
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Maya Brookens Major: Biology with a concentration in Marine Biology Cohort: 2022 Advisor: Contact: maya.brookens@duke.edu |
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Logan Evans Major: Environmental Sciences & Policy; Earth & Climate Sciences Cohort: 2022 Advisor: Dr. Brian Silliman Contact: logan.evans@duke.edu |
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Cat Gamard Major: Biology Cohort: 2023 Advisor: Dr. Tom Schultz Contact: laura.gamard@duke.edu |
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Molly Honecker Major: Marine Science & Conservation Cohort: 2023 Advisor: Dr. Tom Schultz Contact: molly.honecker@duke.edu |
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Erika Kraabel |
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Ava Leaphart Major: Environmental Sciences Cohort: 2022 Advisor: Dr. Tom Schultz Contact: ava.leaphart@duke.edu |
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Sara Norton Major: Biology; Marine Science & Conservation Cohort: 2022 Advisor: Dr. David Johnston Contact: sara.norton@duke.edu |
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Porter Porter Major: Environmental Science & Policy; International Comparative Studies Cohort: 2023 Advisor: Contact: sarah.porter@duke.edu |
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Sasha Provost Major: Marine Science & Conservation; minor History Cohort: 2021 Advisor: Contact: sasha.provost@duke.edu |
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Emma Sardy Major: Biology Cohort: 2023 Advisor: Dr. Andy Read and Dr. Tom Schultz Contact: emma.sardy@duke.edu |
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Ari Solomon Major: Marine Sciences & Conservation Cohort: 2023 Advisor: Dr. Andy Read Contact: arielle.solomon@duke.edu |
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Henry Sun Major: Biology; Marine Science & Conservation Cohort: 2022 Advisor: Dr. David Johnston Contact: henry.sun@duke.edu |
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Luca Tjossem Major: Economics; Biology Cohort: 2023 Advisor: Dr. John Virdin Contact: luca.tjossem@duke.edu |
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Hall Welborn Major: Environmental Science Cohort: 2022 Advisor: Dr. Grant Murray Contact: alan.welborn@duke.edu |
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Class of 2026 |
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Samantha George |
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Lizzy Glazer |
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Ruth Havener Major: Biology (undeclared) Cohort: 2022 Advisor: Contact: ruth.havener@duke.edu |
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Ariane Lemaire |
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Kira Lichtenfeld |
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Maya Reilly |
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Dhruv Rungta |
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Aaron Siegle Major: Environmental Science & Policy Cohort: 2022 Advisor: Dr. Tibor Vegh Contact: aaron.siegle@duke.edu |
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Thomas Tan |
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Class of 2027 |
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Caspar Dicke |
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Naomi Scott |
Alumni
Class of 2024 |
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Zoe Ali
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Chloe Beittel
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Erika Berlik Major: Marine Science & Conservation; Biology Cohort: 2022 Advisor: Dr. Brian Silliman |
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Nhu Bui Major: English; Environmental Sciences & Policy Cohort: 2021 Advisor: Dr. Silliman |
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Christian Campbell |
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Ariel Chukwuma |
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Danny Collins |
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Misaki Foster Major: Marine Science & Conservation Cohort: 2022 Advisor: Dr. Cindy Van Dover |
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Catalina Lopez |
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Ali Pagliery |
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Olivia Polemeni Major: Biology; Marine Science & Conservation Cohort: 2021 Advisor: Dr. Brian Silliman |
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Tanok Ramirez Major: Environmental Science Cohort: 2021 Advisor: Dr. Daniel Rittschof |
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Abby Saks Major: Biology; Environmental Science & Policy Cohort: 2021 Advisor: Dr. Dan Richter |
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Jilly Senk Major: Environmental Sciences & Policy; minor Economics; minor Marine Science & Conservation Cohort: 2021 Advisor: Dr. Tom Schultz |
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Marley Dooling Major: Biology; Environmental Sciences & Poly Graduation Year: 2024 |
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Class of 2023 |
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Elizabeth Bock Major: Environmental Sciences & Biology Graduation Year: 2023 Advisor: Andrew Read |
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Brendan Cantwell Major: Earth and Ocean Sciences; Biology minor Graduation Year: 2023 Advisor: Dr. Meagan Dunphy-Daly |
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Grace Chung Major: Biology; Environmental Science with a concentration in Marine Science & Conservation; Computer Science minor Graduation Year: 2023 Advisor: Dr. S. N. Patek |
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Madison Griffin Major: Biology with a Concentration in Marine Biology Graduation Year: 2023 Advisor: Dr. Meagan Dunphy-Daly |
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Grace Jennings Majors: Environmental Science and Policy, Sociology Graduation Year: 2023 Advisor: Dr. David Gill |
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Nick Kaney Major: Biology Graduation Year: 2023 Advisor: Drs. Doug Nowacek and Rob Schick |
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Lauren Miller Major: Environmental Science and Policy Graduation Year: 2023 Rachel Carson Scholar Advisor: Andy Read |
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Madena Mustafa Major: Environmental Science and Policy; Biology Minor Graduation Year: 2023 Advisor: Dr. David Gill |
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Magdalena Phillips |
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Lydia Sellers Major: Environmental Science and Policy with a concentration in Marine Science & Conservation (BA), Cinematic Arts Minor Graduation Year: 2023 Advisor: Dr. Meagan Dunphy-Daly |
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Emma Shuppert Major: Marine Science and Conservation Graduation Year: 2023 Advisor: Dr. Andrew Read |
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Class of 2023 |
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Arianna Agostini Major: Environmental Science B.S. Major with Minor in Biology and Marine Science and Conservation Leadership Certificate Graduation Year: 2023 Advisor: Brian Silliman |
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Class of 2022 |
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Dana Adcock Major: Environmental Science & Policy with a concentration in Marine Science & Conservation Graduation Year: 2022 |
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Catherine Brenner |
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Erin Gleason Graduation Year: 2022 |
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India Haber Major: Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Marine Science & Conservation; Biology minor Graduation Year: 2022 Advisor: Doug Nowacek Research Project Title: Coastal bioacoustics of fish and dolphins with regards to predator-prey relationships |
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Sophie Hanson Major: Biology, minor in Environmental Science and Policy, and a concentration in Marine Science & Conservation Graduation Year: 2022 Advisor: Andy Read |
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Anna He Major: Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Marine Science & Conservation Graduation Year: 2022 |
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Max Hofstetter |
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Zach Horowitz Major: Environmental Science & Policy Graduation Year: 2022 |
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David Hugo Major: Environmental Sciences; Biology Graduation Year: 2022 Advisor: Dan Rittschof Research Project Title: Effect of handling fish with dry and wet hands and hands with sunscreen on removal of fish mucus |
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Kellie Johnson Major: Environmental Science BS, Certificate in Marine Science and Conservation Graduation Year: 2022 Advisor: Dr. Cindy Van Dover Project Title: Spatial associations among taxa in the vicinity of a Blake Ridge Cold Seep |
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Chandler Katz |
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Kenneth Lau Majors: Environmental Science and Policy, Philosophy Graduation Year: 2022 |
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Maddie Paris Major: Biology with a concentration in Ecology; Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Marine Science & Conservation Graduation Year: 2022 Advisor: Brian Silliman Research Project Title: Large Predator Utilization of Salt Marsh Ecosystems in Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve |
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Jwalin Patel Major: Economics; Environmental Science & Policy Graduation Year: 2022 |
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Ryan Rogers |
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Avery Taylor |
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Megan Wang Major: Economics, Environmental Sciences minor Graduation Year: 2022 Advisor: Xavier Basurto |
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Class of 2021 |
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Danielle Brown Major: Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Marine Science & Conservation; Biology minor Graduation Year: 2021 |
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Kendall Jefferys Major: Environmental Science & Policy; English Graduation Year: 2021 Advisor: David Gill Research Project Title: Marine Governance and Social/Economic Impacts |
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Marley Kaplan Major: Biology; Environmental Science & Policy Graduation Year: 2021 |
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Katie Knotek Major: Environmental Sciences; Biology Graduation Year: 2021 Advisor: Andy Read (Co-advised by Danielle Waples) Research Project Title: Habitat range of short-finned pilot whales: a comparison of photo-identification catalogues from Cape Hatteras and the Bahamas |
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Sarah Kwartler Major: Biology with a Concentration in Marine Biology; Innovation & Entrepreneurship Certificate Graduation Year: 2021 Advisor: Dr. Jason Somarelli Research Project Title: Optimizing Plastic Biodegradation |
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Melissa Marchese |
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Cliff Sheehan Major: Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Marine Science & Conservation Graduation Year: 2021 Advisor: Dave Johnston |
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Cassie Shriver Major: Mechanical Engineering; Biology Minor Graduation Year: 2021 Advisor: Dan Rittschof Research Project Title: Material Preferences in Diopatra Tube Construction. |
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Chris Teufel Major: Biology with a concentration in Marine Biology; Computer Science; Documentary Studies and Italian minors Graduation Year: 2021 |
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Jessica Wang Major: Environmental Sciences with a Concentration in Marine Science & Conservation Graduation Year: 2021 Advisor: Andy Read Research Project Title: Mother-calf Bottlenose Dolphin Group Associations in the Potomac River/Chesapeake Bay |
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Jessica Zhao |
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2020 Graduates |
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Molly Albright Major: Biology Graduation Year: 2020 Advisor: Dr. Andy Read Research Project Title: Looking Skin Deep: Assessing Skin Lesion Presence in Short-Finned Pilot Whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) |
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Melissa Baldino Major: Biology/Environmental Science Graduation Year: 2020 Advisor: Dr. Dan Rittschof Research Project Title: Estimating the Carbon Offsetting Potential of Shellfish Aquaculture |
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Alexandra DiGiacomo Major: Biology Graduation Year: 2020 Advisor: Dr. David Johnston Research Project Title: Coastal shark abundance and spatial dynamics respond to small-scale environmental fluctuations of the Rachel Carson Reserve estuary in Beaufort, North Carolina |
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Maddie Go Major: Biology Graduation Year: 2020 Advisor: Dr. Dan Rittschof Research Project Title: Responses of mud snails to plastic leachates |
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Andrea Kolarova Major: Environmental Science Graduation Year: 2020 Advisor: Dr. Stuart Pimm Research Project Title: Sooty Tern (Onychoprion fuscatus) Stress and Survivorship in the Dry Tortugas |
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Virginia Pan Majors: Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduation Year: 2020 |
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Nicholas Peoples Majors: Environmental Science Graduation Year: 2020 |
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Katie Ridgway Major: Political Science, Certificate in Marine Science and Conservation Graduation Year: 2020 |
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Emma Schmaltz Major: Environmental Science Graduation Year: 2020 Advisors: Drs. Jason Somarelli and Meagan Dunphy-Daly Research Project Title: Can Marine Mammals Point the Way to Understanding Responses to Environmental Hypoxia? |
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D'amy Steward Major: Biology with an Ecology Concentration, Environmental Science with a Marine Science and Conservation Concentration Graduation Year: 2020 |
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Well Witoonchart Major: Biology Graduation Year: 2020 Advisor: Dr. Dan Rittschof Research Project Title: Identifying what makes plastic taste appealing to corals |
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Junette Yu Major: Neuroscience and Linguistics, Marine Science and Conservation Leadership Certificate Graduation Year: 2020 |
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2019 Graduates |
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Rachel Cohn Major: Biology (BS) and Environmental Science and Policy with Concentration in Marine Science and Conservation Graduation Year: 2019 Advisors: Drs. Brian Silliman and Douglas Nowacek Research Project Title: Acoustic disturbance of snapping shrimp (Alpheus heterochaelis) densities to boat noise |
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Annie Harshbarger Major: Environmental Sciences and Biology Graduation Year: 2019 Advisor: Dr. David Johnston Research Project Title: The use of drones to study the feral horses of eastern North Carolina |
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Briana Kleiner |
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Levi Rhoades Major: Environmental Science Graduation Year: 2019 Advisor: Dr. Zackary Johnson Research Project Title: Marine Algae Industrialization Consortium |
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Trevyn Toone Majors: Biology, Earth and Ocean Sciences Graduation Year: 2019 Rachel Carson Scholar Advisor: Dr. Brian Silliman |
2018 Graduates |
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Clara Bird |
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Ashley Blawas Major: Biomedical Engineering Graduation Year: 2018 Advisor: Dr. Douglas Nowacek Research Project Title: Identifying patterns in flow-volume curves for use as a diagnostic tool for respiratory health of bottlenose dolphins |
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Carmen Hoyt Major: Biology (Concentration in Marine Biology) and Earth and Ocean Sciences Graduation Year: 2018 Advisors: Dr. Meagan Dunphy-Daly Research Project Title: A long-term analysis of shark biodiversity off of North Carolina |
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Sam Kelly Major: Mechanical Engineering (Minor in Environmental Sciences and Policy) Graduation Year: 2018 Advisor: Dr. David Johnston Research Project Title: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Ecological Barcode Scanning, Megafauna Motion Tag |
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Stephanie Prufer Major: Biology and Environmental Science & Policy Graduation Year: 2018 Advisor: Dr. Brian Silliman Research Project Titles: (1) Spatial variation in predation stress influence where a keystone mutualism can enhance salt marsh restoration & (2) Effect of stress gradient on mutualism between Spartina alterniflora and Geukensia demissa in a North Carolina salt marsh. |
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Hannah Robinson Major: Biology (Marine Science Concentration), Markets and Management Certificate, and Marine Science and Conservation Leadership Certificate Graduation Year: 2018 Advisor: Dr. Brian Silliman Research Project Title: Marine river otter ecology |
How to Apply
Each fall, the Duke University Marine Lab will select Rachel Carson Scholars for the upcoming academic year.
First-years, sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply. Scholars will be announced in December.
Deadline
October 18, 2024 by 11:59 PM
Application
The application process includes submitting the following items as one PDF document with the file name LastName_FirstName_GradYear_RCApplication:
- Statement. Prepare a one-page (12-pt font, 1-inch margins) statement describing how you will benefit from the Rachel Carson Scholars Program and how this program will help you reach your academic and career goals. The application statement should include research ideas and preferences of Marine Lab faculty with whom to carry out research. It is beneficial to reach out to faculty who you are interested in working with prior to writing your application statement.
- Resume. Your resume should be one page and include relevant experience, coursework, and your GPA.
All application materials should be emailed to the Rachel Carson Scholars Program at rcscholars@duke.edu by the deadline. Applications with statements or resumes not meeting the formatting standards listed above will not be considered. Semi-finalists will be selected from the pool of applicants for interviews with the Program Director or may be asked to provide additional information.
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