<p>For a student looking for tropical marine bio (interested in estuaries and the like) we have the following schools under consideration:</p>
<p>Eckerd College
University of Miami
Florida Institute of Tech
Palm Beach Atlantic
Texas A&M at Galv
Coastal Carolina
University of Hawaii (Manoa & Hilo)</p>
<p>With the sub-specialty of wanting tropical, are we missing any?</p>
<p>[About</a> NSU Oceanographic Center](<a href=“http://www.nova.edu/ocean/overview/index.html]About”>http://www.nova.edu/ocean/overview/index.html)</p>
<p>UNC Wilmington: <a href=“Center For Marine Science | UNCW”>http://uncw.edu/cms/aelab/</a></p>
<p>Maybe Louisiana State? I’ve recently read a paper by LSU scientists on sediment preservation in the bayou, so I’d assume they also have a good tropical marine bio program. </p>
<p>If you’re willing to look beyond the tropical requirement, University of Maryland has a good program in the ecology of estuaries. </p>
<p>Likewise for Oregon State. It has a partnership with the Center for Coastal Margin Observation and Prediction and houses excellent programs in ecology.</p>
<p>If you’re willing to look beyond tropical, to the Chesapeake estuary system, William and Mary is also excellent. For tropical, I’m surprised those are the only two you listed from Florida. Not UF? Not CFU? </p>
<p>(Point of curiosity: how many tropical estuaries are there? are we talking mangroves? I worked in a marine biology lab for a couple years in high school, and although it’s been a while, I can’t picture what your typical tropical estuary might mean.)</p>
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<p>I couldn’t tell you. I’m a Physics/Math person myself and my other half is an Engineer. We’re just gathering school names for our youngest (rising senior) to consider and I based my post off what he told me he wanted to do. He’d much rather be outside than in here on cc. When he is on the computer, having names of schools to look at saves him time and me a headache telling him to “find more schools to consider.” ;)</p>
<p>I can tell you he wants to work in a tropical environment - outdoors - is already scuba certified and is fairly versed in some flora + fauna already. Exactly how he’ll put all that together will remain to be seen, but somewhere there is definitely his niche. (He doesn’t just have visions of “playing with dolphins.”)</p>
<p>UF and CFU probably didn’t make his requirement of coastal locations. He doesn’t have the scores to get into W&M (quite possibly not UM either - it’s a reach). Studying for the SAT/ACT wasn’t high on his list of things to do either.</p>
<p>zobroward - that one looks terrific for him to consider. I’m not sure how he missed it other than perhaps due to seeing NOVA and thinking “Northern Virginia.” Thanks.</p>
<p>I’ll also mention that he should check out Louisiana schools… I don’t think he thought about that as a possibility either, but he loved the bayous when we were there a couple of years ago.</p>
<p>Big fan of Eckerd Great school, great location and right on the Gulf of Mexico literally with boats for going out to do research.</p>
<p>Maybe look into East Carolina University. It’s near an estuary, has at least two professors who specialize in the field, offers at least once course in estuary ecology (as well as many others in related fields), and hosts the [Institute</a> for Coastal Science and Policy](<a href=“http://www.ecu.edu/icsp/ICSP/ICSP.html]Institute”>http://www.ecu.edu/icsp/ICSP/ICSP.html). I believe it’s also near one of the best scuba diving locations in the US.</p>
<p>From doing more reading, it appears as though estuary ecology is largely a graduate field, although undergrads may participate in research. Your son may also want to look into these institutes so that he may pursue estuary research over the summer:
[Grand</a> Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve » Moss Point, MS](<a href=“http://grandbaynerr.org/]Grand”>http://grandbaynerr.org/)
[GERS</a> Homepage](<a href=“gers.us - This website is for sale! - Gers Resources and Information.”>gers.us - This website is for sale! - Gers Resources and Information.)
[University</a> Programs @ DISL](<a href=“http://www.disl.org/aboutus.html]University”>http://www.disl.org/aboutus.html)
[Virginia</a> Institute of Marine Science -*Summer Programs](<a href=“http://www.vims.edu/cbnerr/education/summer_programs/]Virginia”>Summer Programs | Virginia Institute of Marine Science)
[North</a> Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve](<a href=“N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve | NC DEQ”>http://www.nccoastalreserve.net/)
[nerrs.noaa.gov</a> - NERRS Reserves](<a href=“http://nerrs.noaa.gov/Reserve.aspx?ResID=SAP]nerrs.noaa.gov”>http://nerrs.noaa.gov/Reserve.aspx?ResID=SAP)
[San</a> Francisco Estuary Partnership](<a href=“http://www.sfestuary.org/]San”>http://www.sfestuary.org/)
[The</a> Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program](<a href=“http://www.cbbep.org/]The”>http://www.cbbep.org/)</p>
<p>I have a friend (geophysics major at Berkeley) who spent most of last summer working at the [Moss</a> Landing Research Lab](<a href=“http://www.mlml.calstate.edu/]Moss”>http://www.mlml.calstate.edu/), which is owned by the Cal State system. It’s certainly possible to work at other universities on research or estuary work provided that the student actively pursues the opportunities.</p>
<p>Oh and a couple more universities and then I’ll shut up
-College of Charleston: seems to have at least 6 faculty that research estuarine matters and is 45 minutes away from [the</a> NERRS Reserves](<a href=“http://www.nerrs.noaa.gov/Reserve.aspx?ResID=ACE]the”>http://www.nerrs.noaa.gov/Reserve.aspx?ResID=ACE) along with being extremely close to the ocean and in one of the most interesting places in the us as far as environmental urban planning is concerned.
-Florida Gulf Coast University [Coastal</a> Watershed Institute](<a href=“http://www.fgcu.edu/CWI/7582.asp]Coastal”>http://www.fgcu.edu/CWI/7582.asp)</p>
<p>Ok one last one and then I’m done (sorry, I’m fascinated with the geology of the Gulf of Mexico so I love finding schools great in its ecology)
University of Louisiana - Lafayette. I don’t know much about this school, but it is listed in the Princeton Review’s “Best 377 College”. Not only is it extremely close to numerous parks and preserves but it’s also near the [Louisiana</a> Universities Marine Consortium](<a href=“http://biology.ucs.louisiana.edu/content/lumcon]Louisiana”>http://biology.ucs.louisiana.edu/content/lumcon) as well as the [Center</a> for Ecology and Environmental Technology](<a href=“http://biology.ucs.louisiana.edu/content/ceet]Center”>http://biology.ucs.louisiana.edu/content/ceet)</p>
<p>It also houses a decent geology program with professors who’ve published in some major journals on the formation of the Gulf of Mexico if that’s of any interest to your son. </p>
<p>But the best part of UL-Lafayette? If he meets these [url=<a href=“Search | Office of Scholarships”>Incoming Freshmen | Office of Scholarships]criteria[/url</a>] the school waves the OOS tuition.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions. I’m sending them in an e-mail to him to consider. He definitely meets the criteria for UL. His M/CR is 1270 (not superscored). Superscore with W and he’s at 1940.</p>
<p>When I had him look at NOVA Southeastern last night he did feel he’d add it to his list to look at, but didn’t like that it was a commuter schools (as are the Hawaii schools). He really wants a campus (his brothers both have campuses and love them). I think Eckerd, so far, is his favorite, but we’ve yet to visit. That will likely happen in Oct (southern trip taking a week off school/work).</p>
<p>Hi Creekland, we have spoken in the past about Eckerd. My daughter also applied to University of San Diego and Hawaii Pacific University. Your son may wish to look at those as well. Florida Gulf Coast offers a BA, not a BS degree. We spoke with them about the differences and they were very helpful. Wherever he decides to go, see if the school would allow a semester at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia.</p>
<p>Thanks EC! I know he has no interest in CA, but I’ll see if he’s checked out Hawaii Pacific. He really does seem drawn to FL or HI if he gets his first options, though TAMUG interested him too. I don’t think the latter gives much in aid (merit or need based) for OOS though.</p>
<p>Definitely TULANE! They have plenty of majors for that area
-Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
-Environmental Science
-Environmental Biology</p>
<p>They also have a minor in marine biology.</p>
<p>Not to mention, it is on the gulf.</p>
<p>Older thread now… my guy started this fall at Eckerd and very much loves it there!</p>