Briefly speaking: Lab offers ocean of learning

Even as a kid, Theresa DiMarco loved sea life. And that is exactly why she chose to attend college in her landlocked hometown of Davis.

The UC Davis senior is one of the dozens of undergraduates who each year breathe deeply of the Pacific Ocean air and the learning opportunities at the Bodega Marine Lab, a coastal research and teaching center managed by UC Davis.

Located 100 miles west of Davis and 65 miles north of San Francisco, the marine lab features special programs for undergraduates in the spring and summer. During the 10-week spring quarter, about 10 undergraduates live in dorm facilities at the lab, take courses and conduct research. During the summer sessions, about 20 to 30 undergraduates study at the lab.

“The opportunity to conduct field research at Bodega helped solidify my career goals,” said DiMarco, who plans to pursue a doctoral degree and work at a research institution.

DiMarco, who now serves as the lab’s student recruiter on campus, researched how the colonial sea anemone, an invertebrate polyp that feeds on nutrients and small animals it filters out of the water, responds to ultraviolet light. She will graduate this year with a degree in biological sciences and an emphasis in marine biology.

Within steps of the ocean, the lab sits on a 362-acre UC natural reserve that exposes students to a wide variety of habitats — including rocky intertidal zones, mud flats, beach, dunes, salt marsh and coastal prairie. The lab also has a versatile research vessel that can go offshore to conduct deepwater oceanography or stay in the shallows of Tomales Bay.

“Whatever the students’ interests, we have it,” said Skyli McAfee, assistant director of operations. “Everyone at the lab is dedicated to making this a prime experience for undergraduates,” she said.

Preparation for graduate school

Students tackle courses — in subjects such as ecology, toxicology and oceanography — and conduct an independent study project, which culminates in a conference-like presentation to the entire lab.

“The program is like a mini, intensive graduate program and gives students a good taste of the rigors of grad school,” McAfee said. “They apply statistical methods, set up experimental designs — they leave here trained as scientists.”

Students earn 15 units for the spring program. In the summer, they can earn 3 to 10 credits in each of the first (June 21 to July 31) and third (Aug. 2 to Sept. 11) sequences, and 10 credits for the second sequence (June 21 to July 31).

To be eligible for the spring program, student must have completed first-year biology and be a junior or senior. Applications will be accepted through March 25. Applications for summer courses, open to all undergraduates who have completed first-year biology, are due May 1.

The cost for housing and meals for the 10-week spring quarter is $3,129; housing and meals for each five-week summer session is about $2,000. Students may apply for financial aid.

The lab gives public tours on most Friday afternoons. Students interested in studying at the lab can also arrange a special tour through DiMarco at (530) 752-1888 or .