Application Deadline: December 2, 2024
Applicants Notified of Acceptance: January 6, 2025
Cruise Dates: June 30 - July 24, 2025
Click here to Apply Now!
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CSU COAST, in partnership with University of Miami (UM) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), and California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) is pleased to announce an opportunity for CSU undergraduate students to participate in an oceanographic research cruise aboard
the research vessel (R/V) Marcus G. Langseth. The 21-day cruise investigating marine microbial energetics off the coast of California occur from
June 30 - July 24, 2025. Students will be involved in all main cruise activities and will develop their own independent research projects to be carried out during the cruise.
Students interested in biology, biological or chemical oceanography, marine science and related fields are encouraged to apply. $5,000 stipends will be provided to enable students to successfully participate in the cruise and all pre- and post-cruise activities. This is an unparalleled opportunity to participate in a scientific research cruise onboard an ocean-going vessel and gain valuable skills in hands-on research, marine technology, and team-building.
We strongly encourage applications from students who are members of a group(s) that has been historically excluded from ocean and coastal science and related fields, including students who are Black or African American; Chicano, Hispanic, or Latina/o; Asian or Asian American; Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian; Indigenous American or American Indian; Alaska Native; or a combination of ethnicities; noncitizens; female; LGBTQIA+; first-in-family; economically disadvantaged; veterans; and/or have disabilities. Applicants of any race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, immigration status, national origin, age, dis/ability or veteran status are welcome. We also encourage students who have experienced and worked to overcome educational or economic disadvantage and/or have personal or family circumstances that may complicate their continued progress in science careers to apply.
We are looking for applicants who are:
- Adventurous!
- Passionate for serving in partnerships with the community to make positive change.
- Flexible to serve in different areas and adapt to changing circumstances.
- Eager to try new things and have a growth mindset.
- Interested in connecting with and learning from others.
- Willing to be an ambassador for this Fellowship on campus and beyond.
You’ll get:
- A $5,000 stipend!
- Hands-on research experience and technical training.
- Attend a post-cruise scientific conference with the rest of the scientific party (travel covered).
- Travel support to and from the cruise.
In the summer of 2025, Dr. Kim Popendorf (University of Miami), Dr. Jeff Bowman (University of California San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography) and Dr. Sherry Palacios (California State University, Monterey Bay) will lead a 21-day oceanographic research cruise aboard the
R/V Langseth to study marine microbial energy dynamics off the coast of California from
June 30 - July 24, 2025. The project utilizes novel techniques developed by Dr. Popendorf that track the flow of ATP in the ocean. The cruise and all associated activities are funded by an award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to Drs. Popendorf, Bowman, and Palacios.
The cruise will depart from San Diego on June 30, 2025, and return to San Francisco on July 24, 2025. Five berths are reserved on the ship for CSU undergraduate students. Participants will work, eat, and sleep aboard the R/V Langseth.
Want more info on what it's like to live and work on a research vessel? Then click on these video links to learn more:
What You'll Do
As a student participant in this opportunity, you will be involved in the main research activities of the cruise. You will also conduct your own independent research project compatible with the planned sampling modalities and schedule. Specific research topics will be developed in collaboration with the project PIs and your home campus faculty sponsor. Projects should broadly relate to biological or chemical oceanography and use data collected on the cruise. Examples of data that we expect to be available include nutrients, microbial community structure, microbial abundance, oxygen uptake, and ATP turnover.
Students will participate in extensive pre-cruise planning and professional development and will attend a post-cruise scientific meeting with the rest of the research team. Students will receive post-cruise support to prepare them to attend a scientific conference and present the results of their research.
Students selected for this opportunity will participate in activities beginning January 2025 and continuing through February 2026. Each student participant will receive a $5,000 stipend to help defray their living expenses while participating in this educational opportunity. All travel associated with participating in the cruise and all costs associated with attending a scientific meeting will be covered by the award separately from the stipend.
This opportunity is open to all CSU undergraduate students enrolled in a STEM major. Students do NOT need to have field experience or independent research experience to apply, there is no GPA requirement, however we do require the following:
As an applicant, you must meet the following requirements:
- Must be at least 18 years of age
- Must have completed at least 1 lab course in your major where you earned some basic scientific skills by June 2025.
- Must complete two years of coursework (60 semester units or 90 quarter units) by June 2025.
- Students MUST have a faculty sponsor from their home CSU campus who has agreed to work alongside them to accomplish the following:
- Fill out and complete their application
- During the Fall 2025 term the faculty sponsor will support the student in developing a scientific research project or activity that will be conducted aboard the cruise
- The faculty sponsor will mentor the student to be confident in their understanding of the project and skills needed in anticipation of the cruise
- Students may be enrolled full or part time.
- Students must be returning to the CSU in Fall 2025.
- Must be comfortable in a somewhat unpredictable environment.
- Must be in generally good health and meet all shipboard medical requirements; must be vaccinated for COVID and willing to abide by the current COVID protocols at time of sailing.
- Must be able to stand and walk for extended periods of time (generally fit, no need to be a super athlete).
- Must be able to work outdoors and in close quarters at sea.
- Participating in all pre-cruise activities in this timeline:
- During the months of January and February 2025 CSU students will engage in planning meetings twice a month. These meetings will alternate between the science, vision of the cruise, and discussion of logistical details.
- From March through May 2025 CSU students will meet weekly with the research team and with COAST’s professional development specialist. During this time they will plan their independent research projects in detail.
- Participating in the cruise (non-negotiable):
- Students MUST arrive in San Diego by 5:00 pm on June 26, 2025.
- Once on board the R/V Langseth, students will participate in activities that could include collecting water samples, filtering water, assisting with instrument deployment, plankton tows, and much more.
- Participating in all post-cruise activities including attending the designated scientific meeting.
The ship will leave San Diego on June 30, 2025 and will not return to port until it docks in San Francisco on July 24, 2025. For 21 days, the ship will be at least 200 nautical miles offshore outside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, and there may be limited or no internet connectivity. Participants will not be able to disembark from the ship except in the most extreme circumstances, such as a medical evacuation.
Date
| Activity
|
January 6, 2025
| Students notified of acceptance
|
January - February, 2025
| Bi-weekly planning meetings with research team
|
| March - May, 2025 | Bi-weekly science and professional development meetings
|
June 26, 2025
| Arrive in San Diego, CA, for pre-cruise activities
|
| June 27, 2025 | Team building activities in San Diego, CA
|
| June 28, 2025 | Board & load R/V Langseth in San Diego, CA
|
June 30, 2025
| R/V Langseth leaves San Diego, CA
|
July 24, 2025
| R/V Langseth arrives in San Francisco, CA
|
July 26, 2025
| Unload R/V Langseth in San Francisco, CA
|
| Fall 2025 | Analyze data, meet w/ research team, & prepare a presentation
|
Interested in applying to the Microbial Energy At-Sea opportunity? Please follow these steps:
- Before applying, applicants must establish who their Faculty Sponsor will be. (see Eligibility for more information on what a faculty sponsor is)
- Applicants must discuss their application with a faculty sponsor from their own campus BEFORE APPLYING.
- Applicants must also submit an official Microbial Energy At Sea Application, which requires that you prepare the following:
- Unofficial academic transcripts (PDF only)
- Contact information of your faculty sponsor.
- Answers to the following question prompts:
- Please tell us why you want to go on the Microbial Energy at Sea Oceanographic Research Cruise? (Suggested length: 300-400 words)
- Please describe your academic background and any STEM-related training. Please elaborate on any basic scientific skills you have learned from coursework, like skills learned in basic biology, chemistry or physics lab classes. (Suggested range: 200-300 words)
- What unique skills and attributes do you think you can bring to this opportunity? (for example curiosity, persistence, problem-solving skills, analytical skills, interpersonal skills, etc.) (Suggested range: 200-300 words)
If desired, you can review and download a sample PDF of the application here:
Scientific Summary of this Project
This project investigates the factors determining where and why microbes are the most efficient at converting carbon into biomass within the upper several hundred meters of the ocean. Microbial growth efficiency is a critical ecological parameter that describes the energy required by microbes for biomass production and defines the proportion of carbon lost from marine microbial food webs through respiration (conversion of organic carbon into carbon dioxide). Despite its significance, there is a limited understanding of the drivers of microbial efficiency. Assessing microbial efficiency variation across different marine microbes is hindered by the difficulty of directly measuring the energy used for biomass production. This project uses new methods to estimate microbial energy conversion within cells and compare it to measurements of other metabolic processes such as respiration and primary production. Additionally, the researchers measure environmental nutrient concentration, oxygen concentration, temperature, pH, and microbial community structure from diverse oceanographic environments in the California Current ecosystem to include within mathematical models for interpreting and predicting microbial carbon flow. In addition, this project provides education and at-sea research training opportunities for new scientists, including graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and a cohort of undergraduate students from groups historically underrepresented in the marine sciences.
This project aims to identify the ecological conditions and microbial taxa that account for the variance in microbial growth efficiency along light and nutrient gradients in the ocean. The project uses data collected on an oceanographic research expedition in the California Current ecosystem along the central and southern California coast, a well-characterized and heterogenous region broadly representative of key ecosystems in the global ocean. Microbial growth efficiency measurements are being made using an innovative combination of two new radioisotope tracer-based techniques, flow cytometry, and microbial community structure analysis. In addition, the researchers use machine learning techniques to provide predictive analytics and link microbial community structure, abundance, efficiency, and environmental conditions.
For more information on the Microbial Energy At Sea opportunity, please contact COAST Student Success Specialist Adam Paganini ([email protected]).