FHL summer courses are 5-week, full-time experiences that often focus on a specialized topic and may include a research project component. If you have an idea for a 5-week course you’d like to teach at FHL, we welcome your proposal. If your course is approved, it will be listed as an offering for that summer. As long as enrollment reaches the minimum required to be viable (usually 12 students), FHL will run the course and provide:

• 1.5-month appointments for each of two faculty (0.9 FTE per person)
• FHL housing for the duration of the course (for faculty without a home on island)
• technical and administrative support
• partial financial aid for students
• a TA for courses with 16 or more registered students

For details regarding appointment dates, FTE, housing, salary rates, and enrollment minimums see:

FHL Summer Course Policies

PROPOSALS

Course proposals should be submitted the year prior to the summer for which you are proposing your course (e.g., submit in May 2024 for summer 2025). For classes that require a longer lead time, proposals may be submitted two years in advance. 

Proposals will be reviewed by the Teaching Advisory Committee. We are looking for courses that are fundamental and important to the education of students who are likely to become national leaders in marine science. Truly innovative courses, i.e. those likely to put together people and ideas that yield new thinking and understanding across disciplines, are eagerly sought out. Similarly, we encourage courses whose faculty include early career scientists, as they often bring fresh perspectives not only on the subject material but also on career opportunities and broader (e.g. societal) issues associated with the pursuit of science.

Because of the demand for FHL facilities, courses (even very important ones) that can be taught equally well or better elsewhere, are likely to receive a lower priority. If a proposed course will incur unusual costs such as extensive ship time, use of the OA lab, or genetic sequencing, it will more likely be approved if the proposal includes sources of outside funding.

To apply, e-mail the following application elements as PDFs to Megan Dethier by May 15:

In one PDF:

1. Name of proposed course
2. Your name, address, e-mail
3. Any special constraints? For example, lead time, season, year, outside funding, etc.
4. Summer A or Summer B preferred and why?
5. Please indicate for the benefit of people who don’t know your field why this course is important now and why it should be offered at UW-FHL, rather than in UW-Seattle (or e.g., Denver)
6. How does your teaching experience relate to this course proposal?
7. How many students would be registered?
8. How will the course use FHL facilities in the following categories?
   – Organisms
   – Wet labs
   – Research Vessel
   – Dock/boats
   – SCUBA
   – FHL analytical gear
   – Other
9. Your CV

In a second PDF:

1. A 2-3 page substantive description of the course including a plan or syllabus.  This should include a description or list of the learning goals for the course, and at least a general overview of week-by-week topics and activities.

We are sometimes looking for faculty to teach one of our regularly-offered, core summer courses (e.g. Marine Invertebrates, Marine Botany, Comparative Embryology, or Fish Biology). If you are interested in teaching one of these, contact Megan directly to find out about possible openings.

Research apprenticeships are intense, full-time, 10-week training experiences offered to qualified undergraduates and post-baccalaureates in spring and autumn quarters at FHL. A group of 12-16 students work on focused research guided by faculty and graduate student mentors. Students report that these experiences make them more likely to choose scientific research as a career option. Leading an apprenticeship is very time-intensive but extremely rewarding. Faculty and researchers are invited to submit a proposal to lead an apprenticeship in science, engineering, policy or other field that can be supported at FHL.

As long as enrollment reaches the minimum required to be viable, FHL will provide:

• one three-month, 100% FTE appointment for a faculty instructor (can be split among two or more faculty)
• FHL housing for the duration of the course (for faculty without a home on island)
• one half-time graduate student RA
• technical and administrative support
• financial support for course expenses such as research vessel time
• partial financial aid for students

PROPOSALS

Proposals should be submitted the year prior to when you propose to lead the apprenticeship. 

**Before writing up a proposal, contact Megan Dethier to discuss your idea and confirm that it will be feasible in terms of space availability, equipment needs, and other logistics.

Apprenticeships typically investigate a topical research area of interest to individual faculty. They may also focus on specific research skills, e.g. microscopy or molecular biology, on whole organismal groups, or on important issues such as marine conservation policy. See previous and current Research Apprenticeship programs for examples.

Proposals will be reviewed by the Teaching Advisory Committee, which by mid-May will decide on apprenticeships for the following year. The Committee will be looking for training experiences that are fundamental and important to the education of students who are likely to become national leaders in marine science. Truly innovative apprenticeships, i.e. those likely to put together people and ideas that yield new thinking and understanding across disciplines, are eagerly sought out. Similarly, we encourage apprenticeships whose instructors include early career scientists, as they often bring fresh perspectives not only on the subject material but also on career opportunities and broader (e.g. societal) issues associated with the pursuit of science.

Because of the demand for FHL facilities, apprenticeships (even very important ones) that can be taught equally well or better elsewhere are likely to receive a lower priority.

To apply, please e-mail the following application elements to Megan Dethier by April 30.

In one PDF:

1. Name of proposed apprenticeship
2. Your name, address, e-mail
3. Any special constraints? For example, lead time, season, year, outside funding, etc.
4. Autumn or Spring preferred and why?
5. Please indicate for the benefit of people who don’t know your field why this apprenticeship is important now and why it should be offered at UW-FHL, rather than in UW-Seattle (or e.g., Denver)
6. How does your teaching experience relate to this apprenticeship?
7. How many students would be registered?
8. How will the apprenticeship use FHL facilities in the following categories?
   – Organisms
   – Wet labs
   – Research Vessel
   – Dock/boats
   – SCUBA
   – FHL analytical gear
   – Other
9. Your CV

In a second PDF:

1. A 2-3 page substantive description of the apprenticeship including a plan or syllabus.  This should include a description or list of the learning goals for the course, and at least a general overview of week-by-week topics and activities.

Occasionally we have courses ‘on the books’ for spring and fall quarter for which we do not yet have faculty lined up. If you have a quarter free from other responsibilities and would like to be considered to be an instructor for a pre-existing spring or fall course (usually at 50% FTE), contact Megan.