At the Bodega Marine Laboratory, science leapt beyond the lab bench in a surprising collaboration—part fashion show, part modern dance, part film screening—where artistic expression met ecological research on the Sonoma Coast.
Some reef fish have the unexpected ability to move their jaws from side to side, biologists at the University of California, Davis have discovered. This ability – which is rare among vertebrate animals – allows these fish to feed rapidly and efficiently on algae growing on rocks.
For some, the ocean is a scenic backdrop—an inviting place for relaxation or an awe-inspiring force of nature. For Mona Hansche, it’s the soundtrack of her life; and Bodega Bay is the chorus—the part that always returns, anchoring the melody of her experiences.
After a summer of tide pooling and hands-on marine research at Bodega Marine Laboratory, UC Davis undergrads Makayla Peixoto and Jessica Bartolome returned to campus as peer advisors, helping future students discover their own path to the coast.
What does it mean to learn marine science by doing? For students in the inaugural Fall Quarter at Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML), it meant using a clam gun to reveal burrowing invertebrates in the mudflats, tagging coho salmon to help monitor wild fish populations, and practicing the slow, stealthy skill of catching sculpin with bare hands.
As an assistant diving and boating safety officer for UC Davis based at Bodega Marine Laboratory, Dias works with UC Davis researchers to coordinate and provide guidance for critical fieldwork that’s helping us understand the health of our oceans and waterways, and in turn, our global climate.
