A poster created by five students in CSUMB’s Division of Science and Environmental Policy is one of 21 selected by the CSU’s Council on Ocean Affairs, Science and Technology (COAST) for display at its inaugural student-research showcase Jan. 25 in Long Beach.

The poster presentations will be made to the CSU’s Board of Trustees and campus presidents at the conclusion of the regular Board of Trustees meeting.

The faculty mentors and student researchers will discuss the results of their marine and coastal investigations. The studies – which represent 20 campuses and the CSU’s Moss Landing Marine Laboratory – focus on topics that include invasive species, unseen internal waves, sustainable seafood, marine-protection areas, environmental contaminants, ocean acidification, gene-tracking in the sea, and ripple patterns in submerged sand.

CSUMB undergraduates Alexandra Davis, Craig Mueller, Todd Hallenbeck, Julia Carrillo and Jocelyne Gomez worked with faculty mentor Rikk Kvitek. The abstract for their project describes it this way:

"The California Seafloor Mapping Project (CSMP) is a cooperative initiative creating a comprehensive, high-resolution coastal/marine geologic and habitat base map for all of California’s state waters. This 8500 km2 dataset is enabling researchers to study patterns and distribution of near-shore habitats at scales never before possible, including the presence of rippled scour depressions (RSD) as the most prominent feature on the continental shelf . . . . The goal is to use autoclassification methods to quantify the extent and distribution of three benthic habitats (rock, sediment, RSD) within state waters . . . results are used to quantify and characterize patterns in the distribution and abundance of these habitats along the California continental margin."

The purpose of the event is to provide a measure of the excellence and relevance of marine and coastal research conducted within the CSU system. For more about COAST, visit www.calstate.edu/coast.