Meeting Abstract
91.1 Sunday, Jan. 6 Sailing for Science: Authentic Oceanographic Field Experience as the Core of Multiple Science Courses LOWERY, M.S.*; KAUFMANN, R.; GRAY, S.; BOUDRIAS, M.; TALLEY, D.; University of San Diego; University of San Diego; University of San Diego; University of San Diego; University of San Diego slowery@sandiego.edu
For over a decade, students at the University of San Diego have participated in a 24 hour oceanographic cruise aboard the R/V Robert Gordon Sproul, a research vessel of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Using professional marine sampling gear, students collect data at sea and engage in a long-term multidisciplinary study of nearshore sites through inquiry-based learning. Multi-week analysis of hydrographic parameters including CTD depth profiles and water chemistry, sediments collected with grabs and multicorers, and plankton tows continues throughout the semester and is integrated into biological and geological oceanography courses. Students write several reports in the format appropriate for submission to a scientific journal or a poster presentation at a conference. Major studies among these courses include the following: variability in mineralogy, grain size distributions, and organic matter content; variation in the living (stained) and sub-fossil benthic foraminifera community; variation in plankton with distance from shore, hydrographic parameters, and time of day; variation in benthic macrofauna with sediment characteristics, oxygen concentration, and overlying plankton communities. Increasingly, students from additional courses such as analytical chemistry participate in the cruise, enhancing the scope of the project and underscoring the importance of collaboration in modern science. In fact, many students participate in the cruise in multiple years, gaining deeper insight from a different analytical focus on samples from the same sites. Emphasis on integration of physical and biological parameters provides a unique opportunity for students to make connections among disciplines and gain experience in executing field studies.
