When we say the MAS MBC program is accelerated, we mean it! The MAS MBC program starts with an intensive, 16-unit 10-week course, with runs Monday – Friday, from 8:30am – 4pm, which we affectionately call The Summer Course.

If you missed our Introduction to the Summer Course, be sure to check out more general information here.

We left off our last post at Week 2: Biodiversity Week, and the MBC students have learned SO much since then! Get ready to catch up on the last several weeks of the Summer Course and all the interdisciplinary learning therein:

(MBC Students filming During Film Week)

Week 3: Film Week. MBC students are making short films on the Summer theme: Extreme Environments for their final group project. This week students learned from Faculty Co-Chair and UCSD Communications Professor, Dr. Patty Ahn, all the fundamentals of filmmaking. Students practiced with equipment from the UCSD Media Lab, and developed interviewing techniques, and editing skills. At the end of the week, students premiered the short profiles they made of each other. There was not a dry eye in the classroom!

(MBCers geared up to operate machinery on the RV Sproul)

Sproul Research Cruise. In between Film Week and Ecology Week, MBC students each got the opportunity to spend a day on a Scripps research vessel, the RV Sproul. Students deployed scientific instruments, trawls, sediment-grabs, and more, and then sorted and collected the specimens in the lab with Faculty Co-Chair, Dr. Greg Rouse. It was an awesome day at sea for all!

(Learning about Kendall-Frost Marsh from MBC Alumni, Beverly Scharnhorst)

Week 4: Ecology Week. Ecology week was packed with an all-star list of guest speakers, as students explored concepts in Ecology, Conservation and Ethics. Lectures spanned from tropical coral reefs to the polar ecosystems, and students had lessons and panels on Decolonizing Conservation, Environmental Ethics, and partnering with Indigenous communities. Ecology week was rounded out with a field-trip led by local Kumeyaay leaders around Kendall-Frost Marsh.

Week 5: Economics Week. MBCers learned basic concepts of Environmental Economics from UCSD Economics Professors and guest lecturers from NOAA, University of British Columbia, and the Federal Reserve of San Francisco. Students played market simulation games to support their learning of externalities, cap and trade, discounting, and bioeconomics. Econ week is tough! But our students will get to engage with economic principles more when they take Environmental Economics this Fall.

(Field trip to Torrey Pines with Dr. Dick Norris)

Week 6: Oceanography Week. Oceanography is filled with not just Ocean Science, but also Geology and Climate Science. Students start off learning about Geologic history with a field trip to Torrey Pines, and a Sediment Core lab, and will continue to engage with Indigenous perspectives on environmentalism, Coastal Ecology, Biological Oceanography, an Ice Cores lab, and more! The big picture of Oceanography will be refined and revisited throughout the year, but especially during Week 7, when MBC heads to Catalina for Field-Research Techniques!

It has been a fabulous 6 weeks with the 2023-2024 MAS MBC Cohort, filled with learning and growth, and we know the final week of the Summer Course will continue to challenge our students (and speakers) to think outside the box about marine conservation. Thanks to all students and staff for their participation, engagement, compassion, and curiosity!

Want to hear more about the following weeks of the Summer Course? Stay tuned, as we will continue to post updates as the 2023-2024 MAS MBC cohort digs deeper into the Summer!