Developing a Long-term Monitoring Program with Undergraduate Students in Marine Sciences

Abstract:

A goal of our growing marine geoscience program at Mt. San Antonio College is to involve our students in all stages of developing and running an undergraduate research project. During the initial planning phase, students develop and test their proposals. Instructor-set parameters were chosen carefully to help guide students toward manageable projects but to not limit their creativity. Projects should focus on long-term monitoring of a coastal area in southern California. During the second phase, incoming students will critique the initial proposals, modify as necessary and continue to develop the project.

We intend for data collection opportunities to grow from geological and oceanographic bases to eventually include other STEM topics in biology, chemistry, math and GIS. Questions we will address include: What makes this a good research project for a community college? What are the costs and time commitments involved? How will the project benefit students and society? Additionally we will share our initial results, challenges, and unexpected pitfalls and benefits.