In early June, Marisa Morse of CSU Monterey Bay and seven other undergraduates from across the country arrived at the University of Florida's Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience to participate in the lab's Research Experience for Undergraduates training program.

Morse applied to the program with the help of Matt Subia, research coordinator at CSUMB’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC).

UROC works to support faculty-student collaboration across all academic disciplines through training, research and professional development. Students come away from the UROC experience with a deeper appreciation of the research process, a thorough understanding of their curriculum content and a clearer pathway to graduate school and post-college job opportunities.

Morse, who is majoring in Environmental Science, Technology and Policy, spent her 11 weeks at the Whitney Lab conducting research on biological pathways, data mining and gene expression.

She and the other students also participated in workshops on scientific ethics and communication, and visited graduate departments on the Gainesville campus of the University of Florida to gain insights on how to apply for graduate school.

They also took field trips to Florida's diverse aquatic ecosystems including the Florida Keys, inland freshwater springs, the Gulf Coast at Cedar Key and local beaches and marshes.

The culminating event of their summer experience was a research symposium during which they described the results of their work in oral and poster presentations.

This summer, with the help of UROC staff members, 51 CSUMB students spread out across the United States and internationally. Many, such as Morse, worked in labs on other university campuses and at research centers; one served as an intern for a member of the state Assembly; and about a dozen worked on research projects based at CSUMB.??

And while most of them are majoring in science, 14 are pursuing degrees – and research topics – in psychology, social and behavioral sciences, human communication, business, music and kinesiology.

To learn more about UROC, click here.

Photo: Morse (center, in white shirt) and seven other students spent 11 weeks at the University of Florida in the Undergraduate Research Experience program funded by the National Science Foundation