My Summer with Bull Kelp, Sea Urchins, and Abalone
An SRJC-BML Internship Story
Katherine Pearson is a biology student who just finished at SRJC and is transferring to Cal Poly Humboldt in the fall semester of 2025. She is majoring in marine biology but hopes to major in biochemistry as well. She is also interested in getting certified in scientific diving so she can see kelp forests and their inhabitants up close. Her mentors were Maya Munstermann and Elena Wang.
This summer I had the privilege to participate in a few projects under the mentorship of Maya Munstermann and Elena Wang. I accompanied Maya and Elena to surviving bull kelp patches in Mendocino County to gather information about their health and biometrics. I also dissected purple sea urchins collected from those sites to determine their reproductive capability. The last project I participated in was the respirometry and handling of abalone.
This internship gave me new appreciation for the hard work science teachers do in order to make lab work and field work as smooth as possible for their students. Organization was an invaluable skill this summer, whether it was keeping track of low and high tides, leaving the lab early to get to the sites at the right time, or carefully setting up and putting away equipment for abalone respirometry. Proper organization ahead of time not only made workflow more efficient, but it also made the research possible.
Another important skill used this summer was problem solving. Unlike a classroom setting when problems arise the solutions and materials may not be laid out for you. For instance, abalone are irritatingly good at finding ways to escape their tanks. Some of the tanks had lids that could snap on, and with other tanks the lids had to be secured with zip ties. There was also trial-and-error with the proper material to use as filters for the tanks. Eventually a material was found that was easy to assemble, install, and caught waste without compromising water outflow.
This internship gave me new inspiration for studying marine sciences. I got to see what real research looks like and I also got to meet experts from a variety of fields and interests. The people I met at the Bodega Marine Laboratory were not only informative about scientific matters, but also provided academic and career advice. I hope in the future I follow their example of good scientific work and good mentorship for future scientists.
About the Program:
The SRJC-BML Internship Program provides summer research opportunities for Santa Rosa Junior College students at the Bodega Marine Laboratory.