Professor Corey Garza has been successful in attracting underserved students – minorities, low income and first-generation college students – to ocean sciences.

He has established a Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at Cal State Monterey Bay and has built up the ocean science program at the annual SACNAS – Society for the Advancement of Hispanics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science – conference.

Now, he is sharing his approaches for improving diversity in the field.

Dr. Garza, a professor in the Division of Science and Environmental Policy, delivered the keynote talk at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership’s biennial educators retreat in Savannah, Ga., on Sept. 24. The consortium is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that represents more than 100 of the leading public and private ocean research and education institutions in the country.

“As part of my talk, I referenced a recent NPR story that highlights some of the struggles postdocs are having in seeking out faculty and senior research positions,” Dr. Garza said.

He said he and some of his colleagues in SACNAS believe this is due, in part, to the fact that biomedical fields have been overemphasized to underserved students. “By not encouraging these students to diversify the scientific pathways they take – into fields such as ocean science – we are producing far too many students in a narrow range of fields,” he said.

His presentation put a spotlight on CSUMB’s marine science program and the university’s diversity-related efforts. He reported that his talk was well received, "and many of the items I discussed will be action items for the larger group of institutions to work on in regard to increasing diversity on their campuses," he said.