Dr. Tom Jones and Dr. Peter SampouReceive National Science Foundation Grant for Research Experiences for Undergraduates

SALISBURY, MD--Dr. Tom Jones, dean of Salisbury State University's Richard A. Henson School of Science and Technology, and Dr. Peter Sampou, adjunct professor at SSU, received $14,528 from the National Science Foundation for the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program.

The goal of the REU program is to increase minority involvement through early intervention by actively engaging under-represented undergraduates in the estuarine sciences and related fields. Funds were used to assist students, 80 percent of which were women, minorities and persons with disabilities, in attending the Estuarine Research Federation (ERF) biennial meeting in New Orleans, LA.

The ERF is a multidisciplinary group that studies and manages the structure and functions of estuaries and the effects of human activities on these fragile environments. Eleven undergraduate students attended ERF in 1999 and benefitted from a combination of scientific, scholarly and social interaction with prominent scientists, policy makers and career advisors.