MBGSA members in six labs (January 2014)
The MBGSA is a campus club that discusses current literature in marine biology, readys its members for participation at conferences, and generally provides an organization for fun and enlightening activities in marine biology. It is the counterpart of the offiical masters program in Biology as experienced by students in the labs of six professors.
Ichthyology Lab of Dr. Larry Allen
Stephanie Benseman; J. R. Clark; Lorna Macfarlane; Ali Meyer; Brian Peña; Calvin Won
Phycology lab of Dr. Robert Carpenter
Amy Briggs; Heather Hillard; Sarah Merolla; Carolina Mor; Lauren Valentino; Maureen Ho
Evolutionary Ecology lab of Dr. Steve Dudgeon
Diana Jacinto; Christine March; Alexa Mutti
Polyp lab of Dr. Peter Edmunds
Beth Lenz; Sylvia Zamudio; Nicolas Evensen; Jennifer Smolenski; Alex Yarid
Fish Ecology lab of Dr. Mark Steele
Russell Dauksis; Sam Ginther; Justin Hackitt; Barbara Sanchez; Michael Schram; Barbara Weiser; Stacey Virtue
Larval Ecology lab of Dr. Dawn Vaughn
please someone join the larval lab.
Study Marine Biology at CSUN
The CSUN Marine Biology area emphasizes ecological approaches, and hands-on field and laboratory experiences. Field trips are an integral part of all marine courses and regularly include trips aboard the university's research vessel to the California Channel Islands, and excursions to the southern and central California coast. The Marine Biology area takes full advantage of CSUN's proximity to a diversity of nearshore, warm-temperate, marine environments located on the southern California coast, within a short driving distance from campus, including rocky intertidal, sand and mudflat communities, and kelp forest habitats.
Field Biology Semesters are a highlight of the biology program and include a Marine Biology Semester conducted at Catalina Island off the coast of Southern California. Classes include Marine Biology, Marine Invertebrate Zoology, Marine Phycology, Ecology of Marine Fishes, Marine Biological Processes and opportunities for undergraduate and graduate student independent research.
The graduate program offers a Master of Science in Biology degree that is individually tailored to each students' research interests. The Marine Biology area is particularly strong in preparing graduate students for advanced academic careers, private sector and governmental agency jobs. Many graduate students publish their thesis research in leading peer-reviewed journals. Interested students should contact a faculty member within their area of interest.
Research topics in the Marine Biology area cover a broad spectrum including ecology of marine benthic communities; population ecology and life histories of colonial organisms; biological processes in community development; physiological ecology of tropical reef corals; population ecology of tropical and temperate reef fishes; community ecology of California coastal marine fishes; and population dynamics of fisheries species. For more information on research in Marine Biology at CSUN, please view individual faculty member's pages.