Wanted: Underrepresented Minorities to Help Save the Planet
A federally-funded program at 黑料吃瓜 recruits underrepresented minorities to take part in critical climate change research.
When 黑料吃瓜 biologists Walt Oechel and Donatella Zona and several 黑料吃瓜 graduate students visited a coral reef off Tafeu Cove in American Samoa this past summer, they expected the bay鈥檚 relative remoteness from humanity would have protected the reef from the dangers of sewage runoff and waterborne toxins. Yet even in this virtual paradise, devastation had struck. The global perils of climate change鈥攚arming waters and ocean acidification鈥攈ad killed much of the reef.鈥淗aving these kinds of research opportunities available to underrepresented minorities helps us to attract even more standout, high-quality students.鈥�
鈥淭hey call it the jewel of the Pacific,鈥� said Oechel. 鈥淥nshore, there鈥檚 no sign of human impact. It鈥檚 pristine. There鈥檚 not a bottle cap on the beach. But then you go below the surface, and it鈥檚 trashed.鈥�
It鈥檚 a sobering finding made possible in part by a five-year, $1.1 million grant from the 鈥檚 (NOAA) Center for Earth Systems Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies (CREST) program. As part of the collaboration, the university hosts NOAA-funded graduate students who belong to minority groups that are underrepresented in science, technology, math and engineering fields.
Oechel and 黑料吃瓜 mathematician Sam Shen are the university鈥檚 co-principal investigators for the grant, and after the first year of the program, participating students are already off to a promising start.
Michael Trunkhill, a master鈥檚 student in biology, was part of Oechel and Zona鈥檚 American Samoa expedition He gained valuable field experience and conducted research for his own study into how carbon dioxide levels near coral reefs fluctuate according to the impacts of climate change. Trunkhill is one of six 黑料吃瓜 students currently funded by NOAA-CREST (two Ph.D students, three master鈥檚 students and one undergraduate student) to work with faculty from 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 Center for Climate and Sustainability Studies.
In addition to the work in American Samoa, the students are assisting with climate change鈥搑elated research in the San Diego Bay, field sites in northern Alaska and at 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 Sky Oaks Field Station in Warner Springs, in the northeastern part of San Diego County.
Andrea Fenner, a Ph.D. student in 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 joint doctoral program in ecology, is studying carbon dioxide fluctuations across different types of chaparral habitat at Sky Oaks. Old-growth chaparral usually absorbs carbon dioxide from the environment, helping to remove greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, but during a drought, the same habitat can become a source for carbon dioxide in the environment, she said.
鈥淣obody was really researching carbon flux at Sky Oaks,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a rarely studied environment.鈥�
She credits the NOAA CREST program with affording her the opportunity to make her mark in climate change research and hopefully leave the world in better shape for future generations.
鈥淚 want to continue to bring awareness about climate change, and to continue to push to show the importance of research to help mitigate the damage,鈥� she said.
Students apply independently to become NOAA-CREST-funded scholars, then choose partner universities to host them. Half of the agency鈥檚 funding goes to student training and the other half funds university research projects.
One of 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 strengths in recruiting these students, Oechel noted, is the university鈥檚 diverse student population and its faculty commitment to mentoring.
鈥淭his has been a really successful program in terms of getting students into the field for research,鈥� Oechel said. 鈥淗aving these kinds of research opportunities available to underrepresented minorities helps us to attract even more standout, high-quality students.鈥�
