Lucas Hernandez wearing waders and walking in a mudflat — Lucas at Nick’s Cove assisting in a disease survey in Tomales Bay.

A Special Summer at the Bodega Marine Laboratory

An SRJC-BML Internship Story

by Lucas Hernandez-Real
October 09, 2025

Hi, I’m Lucas, a SRJC student who is transferring to UC Davis in the fall of 2025. At Davis, I will be majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. This summer, I had the pleasure of working under Serina Moheed in the Brown lab to further explore my scientific interests.

SRJC Intern Lucas Hernandez analyzing samples in the lab — Pipetting during DNA extraction.

As an intern in the Brown lab, I worked with eelgrass and studied seagrass wasting disease on local eelgrass populations. I participated regularly in fieldwork, doing disease surveys on local eelgrass populations, gathering eelgrass for graduate and undergraduate students in the lab, and collecting isopods in “The great isopod hunt”. I was also able to work on more molecular biology in the DNA extraction and subsequent PCR and gel electrophoresis of the pathogen causing Seagrass wasting disease, Labyrinthula zosterae.

This internship helped open my eyes as to how collaborative science truly can be, with each person's project in the lab being unique and having aspects that suited their specialty and interests. The internship was not an individual project, but instead allowed me to explore the other projects ongoing within the lab and assist in a variety of aspects. Every week, numerous people in the lab needed help with a multitude of tasks; from collecting eelgrass at 4 am, to assisting with tank cleanouts, and supporting lab mates in completing a project. It was my first opportunity to engage in actual fieldwork and explore this aspect of science. I found it to be super engaging, and it became one of my favorite things to help with.

At the marine lab and within the Brown lab, I have met so many amazing people who have helped guide me and allowed me to explore what research truly entails. This experience will serve as a launching point for the rest of my career and is something I will remember for the rest of my life.