2007 John D. Isaacs Marine Undergraduate Research Assistantships Announced

July 2, 2007

Contact: Christina S. Johnson, csjohnson@ucsd.edu, 858-822-5334

Jasmine Ruvalcaba, a 2007 Isaacs scholar, is a senior marine and coastal ecology major at CSUMB. Photo Credit: Jasmine Ruvalcaba

La Jolla - California Sea Grant is pleased to announce the six winners of the 2007 John D. Isaacs Marine Undergraduate Research Assistant Program.

The Isaacs scholars, all of whom are undergraduate science majors at California universities, will each receive $2,500 to work over the summer with a researcher from his or her college, currently receiving California Sea Grant support. The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funds the Isaacs Program.

“The experience has been great and the money is the icing on the cake,” said Jasmine Ruvalcaba, a senior at California State University, Monterey Bay, majoring in marine and coastal ecology. She will be working with Mike Graham, an assistant professor of marine ecology, who has California Sea Grant support to study seaweed aquaculture.

The other winners are:

• Elizabeth Joyce, a senior physics major at Stanford University, who will be working with Alexandria Boehm, an assistant professor of environmental engineering;
• Greer McMichael, a junior biochemistry major at CSU Long Beach, who will be working with Chris Lowe, an associate professor of marine biology;
• Heather Johnson, of University California Los Angeles, who will be working with Cheryl Ann Zimmer, a professor of biology;
• Tiana Egloff, a junior biology major at UC Santa Barbara, who will be working with Jennifer Caselle, an associate project scientist; and
• A student who has yet to be named at UC San Diego who will be working with James Leichter, an assistant professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Greg Schroeder, also of the 2006 class, graduated with a conservation biology degree at SJSU in 2005. Photo Credit: Greg Schroeder

The Isaacs Program was created in 2006 in memory of John Dove Isaacs, a professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and early advocate of the Sea Grant model, to help undergraduates further their interest and participation in marine science.

“I believe participating in research has given me experience beyond that of a normal undergraduate,” said Phillip Johnson, a 2007 honors biology graduate from Pepperdine University. Johnson, one of four Isaacs scholars from the 2006 inaugural class, said that his internship gave him an edge over others on his graduate school applications.

“I have always had some sense as to what I wanted to do, but this internship has helped me structure and solidify my goals,” said Suzanne Garcia, a senior biology major at UC Santa Cruz. Garcia, another member of the inaugural class, examined the transfer of toxins through the food web around the Santa Cruz Wharf.

Greg Schroeder, also in the 2006 class, said his research experience as an Isaacs scholar solidified his decision to pursue an advanced degree in marine science. Schroeder is now a graduate student at CSU Monterey Bay studying the biogeography of Subantarctic and Antarctic ascidians.

Suzanne Garcia, a senior biology major at UCSC, was in the 2006 inaugural class. Photo Credit: Suzanne Garcia

California Sea Grant is the largest of 30 National Sea Grant colleges that are located along U.S. coasts and Great Lakes. Funded by NOAA, California Sea Grant provides assistance for the marine research, outreach and education of California and its citizens. The goal of California Sea Grant is to connect marine research from scientists to professionals and the public. California Sea Grant is based at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego.