Protecting the Ocean We Have
Summer Sessions at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory Inspire Future Marine Scientists
Fourth-year UC Davis geology student Sonia Somasundaram was studying in the Cadet Hand Library at the Bodega Marine Laboratory when a fellow student burst through the library’s doors.
“This one student came running into the library, screaming about a whale,” recalled Somasundaram, who’s minoring in oceanography. “I had my headphones in, and I could still hear her over that.”
Somasundaram and the other library occupants followed the student outside to the facility’s viewing deck. Perched atop the bluffs of Bodega Head, students, faculty and staff had a clear view of the Pacific Ocean. Its calm summer waters mirrored the color of the sky.
Then, it happened. In the distance, the surface broke as a whale propelled itself out of the water. It spun in the air and crashed back into the waves, sending a splash skyward as it returned to the blue.