How is SkIO involved in education?
As an autonomous research unit for the University System of Georgia, SkIO exists as a unique educational asset to the 34 other System campuses.  SkIO offers a coastal marine environment conveniently located near pristine salt marsh study sites; small boat and research vessel access to estuarine, coastal, and offshore waters and sediments; and state-of-the art research facilities and staff for the training and research experience of graduate and undergraduate students.  Because SkIO does not offer degrees or formal classroom instruction, students typically pursue these activities at traditional college or university settings.  However, there are several levels of educational activities in which SkIO faculty are active (see below).

What undergraduate opportunities are available?
At the undergraduate level, there are two main types of activities.  A few faculty teach courses at local universities, for example in marine sciences at Savannah State University (SSU) or oceanography at Armstrong Atlantic State University (AASU). Additional courses are offered on an ad hoc basis via a two-way interactive video conferencing system (GSAMS) that connects SkIO to all 34 University System units plus many other facilities. AASU and SSU both have formal and informal undergraduate intern programs with SkIO, whereby students can learn to conduct research as part of projects supervised by SkIO faculty (see www.skio.usg.edu/?p=education/collaboratives for more information). These activities occur during the regular semesters as well as the summer.

What graduate studies are offered by your institute?
At the graduate level, there are again two types of activities. There are a limited number of courses that are offered depending upon funding source and faculty research commitments.  Examples include a course on ecological complexity offered during the "Maymester" period between the end of spring semester and the beginning of summer semester. Several graduate courses in marine sciences are taught by SkIO faculty as part of SSU's M.S. in Marine Sciences program (see www.savannahstate.edu/scitech/scmath/html/marine/index.html for program information). In past years, an eight-week intensive field course in Coastal Oceanography and Marine Field Methods was offered that was cross-listed in both Georgia Tech and UGA catalogs. The schedule for this course is determined each year depending on faculty travel and other research commitments. All of these courses are also available to advanced undergraduate students.

The other major activity is that SkIO faculty collectively hold 30-40 adjunct appointments at University System institutions and other US universities, and therefore can serve as members and chairs of graduate thesis committees. The students take their formal classroom instruction at their home institutions, spend summers during this period conducting thesis research at SkIO, and then move permanently to SkIO to complete their theses after their coursework is finished. Research assistantships for students sharing the research interests of faculty members are available from contracts and grants. Students graduating under the mentorship of SkIO faculty have gone on to postdocs and permanent faculty positions at the nation's most prestigious institutions.

What about postdoctoral positions?
These are available on an ad hoc basis depending upon availability of grant funds. Please contact an individual faculty member conducting specific research that is attractive to you to inquire about opportunities.

Tell me more about undergraduate internships.
There are several internship opportunities available. For SSU students, the CIRE and BI-OMP programs represent unique collaborations between SkIO and SSU aimed toward enhancing research opportunities for SSU science students. Students from other University System schools as well as those from other states and countries can also participate in internships at SkIO. For example, current cooperative internship programs with the Mannheim Fachhochschule of Biotechnology in Germany (Inquiries to Dr. Marc Frischer, Email: ), the Hagenburg Fachhochschule in Austria (Inquiries to Dr. Peter Verity, Email: ), and the Universities of Lisbon and Aveiro in Portugal (Inquiries to Dr. Jack Blanton, Email: ) bring international students to SkIO for extended periods to learn new technologies and collaborate with US students.