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Southern California |
Undergraduate Program in Marine Biology
Marine Biology is an area of concentration within the Biology major at Occidental College.
The foundation of the marine biology emphasis is coursework spanning the breath of the major from biochemistry and molecular biology to ecology and evolution.
Students must complete 10 courses in the Biology department to satisfy the requirement for the major.
Students considering graduate programs also need a year of inorganic and organic chemistry, physics,
and calculus/biostatistics. Courses should be selected in consultation with their academic advisors.
In addition, marine biology students are exposed to:
Drs. Gary Martin and Dan Pondella are the two main faculty at Oxy involved with the marine biology program. Dr. Martin teaches upper division courses in Zoology, Invertebrate Morphology and Physiology and Histology. His research focuses on morphological analysis of mechanisms by which crustaceans fight infection and disease. Dr. Pondella teaches Biological Oceanography, Marine Field Biology and Biology of Marine Fishes. His research centers on the ecology of nearshore marine fishes. Students are encouraged to talk with all faculty in the Biology department regarding the opportunities to work in their labs and gain research experience. Work experience on oceanographic vesselsFrom 1969 until 2004, Occidental College owned and operated the 85-foot research vessel, the Vantuna. This year, the vessel was donated to the Southern California Marine Institute (SCMI), a consortium of 10 colleges in Southern California that pool their resources to promote education and research of the near shore environment. SCMI is located in San Pedro about 45 minutes from Oxy. Occidental students still have the opportunity to gain work experience on the Vantuna and other research vessels in the fleet. To complete the marine emphasis, students must identify common marine organisms from plankton, invertebrates, fish, mammals and birds and to understand aspects of their natural history and roles in ocean ecology. Students must also be able to operate equipment on the vessels that is essential to the study of selected marine habitats. Involvement with the Vantuna Research Group (VRG)The VRG at Occidental College conducts studies of near shore Southern Californian waters supported by grants and contracts. This group provides our students with opportunities to become involved with ongoing research in applied marine biology. Diving is not essential for those students interested in studying marine biology, but many of our students come to Occidental with this skill or become certified divers during their undergraduate years. Once certified, students can become involved with research projects such as the monitoring of fish populations at artificial reefs and along our channel islands. Students are expected to attend seminars presented by the Biology department at Occidental College. In addition, transportation is provided to seminars at local colleges and universities (UCLA, USC and Caltech, for example), as well as to the Cabrillo Marine Museum, L.A . Natural History Museum, Southern California Cetacean Society, etc. These seminars offer opportunities to learn about topics beyond those presented in our classes and labs. Top of Page |
