PROJECT HIGHLIGHT
This project funded a pilot of the Resilient Interdisciplinary Social-Ecological (RISE) fellowship at the University of California, Santa Barbara, which pairs low-income undergraduate and graduate students to conduct marine research.
PROJECT SUMMARY
This project piloted a new program, the Resilient Interdisciplinary Social-Ecological (RISE) fellowship, that trains a diverse group of undergraduates in marine social-ecological research techniques and provides mentorship and research opportunities at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The RISE fellowship recruits students from the Promise Scholars Program at UCSB, a 500-student program that empowers high-achieving, first-generation students from low-income households. The undergraduates are paired with graduate students, creating a web of support for students from communities that are typically underrepresented in the sciences. The ultimate goal is to develop future leaders in social-ecological marine research who will contribute to new solutions to California’s environmental problems.
The pilot RISE fellows participated in two existing research projects at UCSB. Four studied how children from diverse backgrounds access and value marine ecosystems, with the ultimate goal of improving children’s access to the coast and taking their priorities into account in conservation efforts; the other four studied how temporarily closing fisheries can serve as a tool for coastal resilience. After eight weeks of data collection and analysis, the fellows presented two-minute talks to UCSB faculty and fellow students.
Through these projects as well as professional development training and mentorship provided by graduate students, the RISE fellows gained social and ecological research skills while contributing to active research. In surveys, all eight fellows indicated that they feel more confident about their research and professional skills. Two of the research pairs continued to collaborate beyond the end of the program, and one undergraduate fellow has applied for a master's program based on their research.