Thirteen are participating in the trial year of the program. The apprentices are mostly from the UW's Seattle campus, with a scattering of students from UW Tacoma and out of state. With minimal publicity for the new program, the labs fielded 39 applicants for the current research apprenticeship. For those accepted, it's a great deal. They spend a full quarter living and working at Friday Harbor Laboratories.
Schedules follow the tides.
Labs are open around the clock. And entire days are focused solely on research. So, they're creating knowledge, rather than just receiving it. In Strathmann's group, the students are exploring how the female Lacuna snail chooses where to lay her eggs. Another group of six apprentices is studying the diversity of marine life in the region.