Funding Inclusive Research in Marine Science for Underrepresented College Students in California

A new California Sea Grant program, Pathways to Inclusive Research Training, will provide research opportunities in marine and coastal science to California undergraduate students from underrepresented groups. 

For the 2023 grant cycle, eight projects were selected and will collectively receive up to $600,000 in Sea Grant funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

It is hoped that the program will increase retention in STEM of diverse groups and cultivate potential future leaders in coastal science. 

The Pathways program offers undergraduate students a unique, yearlong opportunity to be mentored by researchers and faculty who work for California research institutions. The funded projects either support those researchers’ existing studies or develop new research aligned with California Sea Grant’s mission to foster resilient coastal communities and economies, healthy coastal ecosystems, and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. 

“Putting the burden of finding and applying to grants can sometimes be a barrier for students,” California Sea Grant Director Shauna Oh said. “We wanted to empower faculty, who interact with these students, to tell us how to create these pathways to inclusive research training. We were inspired to see the breadth of proposed projects and dedication from applicants to building inclusive ocean research programs in California.”

Among the selected projects is the DIVErsity in Diving Program at the Marine Science Institute at the University of California Santa Barbara, which will provide gear, swim lessons and scientific dive training to students from historically marginalized communities. 

Another project, Pathways to Marine Science at the University of California Davis, will offer a summer program that mentors community college students in research activities at Bodega Marine Laboratory. The grantees want to provide research opportunities and support that could encourage community college students to transfer into four-year universities — a transition that can be challenging for many. 

California Sea Grant Research Coordinator Lian Guo hopes the program will be an incubator to test new approaches for inclusive research training of students from underrepresented backgrounds in marine science. She explained, “We designed this new funding opportunity to support faculty and community partners in creating undergraduate research programs that center on cohort-building, mentorship and community-engaged research.” 

California Sea Grant is excited to see what outcomes around inclusivity and research emerge from the eight selected projects, which can be viewed by clicking the links below.

• Committed to Community: Building a Broader & Stronger Research Family Through Long-Term Monitoring of California’s Iconic Intertidal Foundation Species (Principal Investigator, PI: Jennifer Burnaford; Co-PIs: Danielle Zacherl and William Hoese / all affiliated with California State University, Fullerton)
   
• DIVErsity in Diving: Expanding Underwater Marine Research Opportunities (Principal Investigator: Gretchen Hofmann; Co-PI: Jennifer Caselle / both affiliated with University of California, Santa Barbara)
   
• A Near-Peer Mentoring Cascade to Promote Inclusive Research Training at the Coastal and Marine Institute Laboratory (Principal Investigator: Brian Hentschel; Co-PIs: Luke Miller, Paul Detwiler and Gena Sbeglia / all affiliated with San Diego State University)
   
• Strengthening the CDLS Ocean Science Learning Ecosystem to Impact Undergraduates Through Service Learning and Workplace Skills Building (Principal Investigator: Robert Eagle; Co-PIs: Aradhna Tripati and Jim Fong / all affiliated with University of California, Los Angeles)
   
• Pathways to Marine Science: Bridging Research Opportunities at Bodega Marine Laboratory for Community College Students (Principal Investigator Alyssa Griffin and Co-PI Shanna Nation Jose of UC Davis Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute; and Co-PI Tessa Hill of University of California, Davis)
   
• Aquanauts: A Transformative Research and Training Experience for Undergraduates in Shellfish Aquaculture (Principal Investigator Maya deVries of San Jose State University; Co-PIs Michael Graham and Scott Hamilton of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories / San Jose State University; and Co-PI Luke Gardner with a dual affiliation of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories / San Jose State University and Scripps Institution of Oceanography / University of California, San Diego)
   
• RISE (Resilient Interdisciplinary Social-Ecological) Fellowship Pilot Program (Principal Investigator: Anastasia Quintana; Co-PIs: Tammy L. Elwell, Steve Gaines and Holly Roose / all affiliated with University of California, Santa Barbara)
   
• Unifying Advocacy Messaging in Climate Action Nonprofits Through Participatory Science in Orange County (Principal Investigator: Richelle Tanner of Chapman University)