The CMIL Summer Research Program was created by Jessica Griffin, a Ph.D. candidate at SDSU whose work focuses on the interactions between bivalves and seagrass in a changing ocean. Griffin said she wanted to provide vital research opportunities to community college students who might not otherwise have access to them.
Griffin worked with San Diego Mesa College biology Professor Paul Detwiler to successfully apply for an Innovation Grant from the San Diego Mesa College Foundation, and used the grant to launch the program last summer with four interns from Mesa College. The grant has been renewed for a second year, and the program is being expanded to include students from any college in the SDCCD. This summer’s program will include five interns, who will each work one day a week at CMIL, from May 30 to August 18.
The internship program pairs each SDCCD student with a graduate student mentor conducting research at the lab. The interns support that research by helping to analyze data, monitoring equipment, doing hands-on fieldwork, and more. Interns may also work on other graduate students’ projects if time allows.
As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, Detwiler said he spent an unforgettable summer learning how to conduct research at a marine science lab. He is thrilled to see local community college students have that same opportunity.
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Laboratory Summer Research Program
Detwiler said the internships can be life-changing for students, regardless of whether they decide to pursue a career in marine biology.
“When students have that kind of direct access to a research lab it really ignites their sense of what’s possible,” said Detwiler, who teaches a marine-science course at Mesa College. “They’re learning something about their own abilities and potential, and that’s an invaluable experience.”
CMIL was built in 2006 on property near the San Diego Bay that was previously the old Naval Training Center. Scientists and students use it to perform research that helps them better understand the environmental problems affecting the Southern California coastline and find interdisciplinary solutions to protect critical coastal environments.
“CMIL is one of the very few urban marine labs in the country positioned to help us understand how urban factors like pollution and nutrient loading have affected marine life,” said Griffin, who leads the summer program with fellow graduate student Lily McIntire. “It’s a great environment where students are taking on a variety of research projects ― everything from understanding kelp habitats to exploring intertidal species and climate change.”
If the work sounds intimidating, it isn’t, said McIntire. The atmosphere is collaborative and fun. The students do not have to be experienced in marine science. They just need a healthy sense of curiosity and a willingness to learn.
“The point of the program is really to give students a chance to get hands-on experience working in a lab,” she said. “It’s one thing to read about research in a book but it’s another to be out there in the field doing the work,” said McIntire. “It really crystallizes everything for you.”
Joseph Burch, a Mesa College and San Diego City College student studying aerospace engineering, was part of the first group of interns last summer.
“I became passionate about the ocean after moving to San Diego a few years ago, so when one of my professors told me about this opportunity I jumped at the chance,” he said. “I really wasn’t sure what to expect, but on Day 1 our mentors did an amazing job of walking us through a typical day of a marine ecologist and really taking us under their wings.”
Burch was paired with Melissa Ward, a postdoctoral scholar with a Ph.D. in marine ecology studying seagrass mitigation. He worked with her and two graduate students on everything from creating a meta-analysis of existing research to conducting carbon-flux readings in the San Diego Bay, then processing and plotting the data. He also helped assemble and deploy subsurface automatic samplers ― a cost-effective way to collect water so it can be analyzed for changes in its chemistry that can be harmful to marine organisms ― off the coast of Coronado.
“One of my favorite things about CMIL is that it’s so multidisciplinary,” Burch said. “Graduate students are constantly designing and building their own marine-science experiments, which might entail a little bit of engineering, robotics, and even remote sensing using satellite data. It checked every box for me and inspired me to try new things.”
Since completing the program, Burch was selected as project manager on an engineering challenge with NASA’s Community College Aerospace Scholar (NCAS) program and has seen other exciting doors open, as well.
“CMIL was my first internship, and it quickly became a gateway to other opportunities that I never dreamt were possible,” he said. “I credit this program and the friendships I have made there with all of the incredible things that have come my way.”
Be a summer intern at CMIL
The Coastal and Marine Institute Laboratory (CMIL) Summer Research Program is now accepting applications from students at Mesa, City, and Miramar colleges who are interested in serving as interns at the lab this summer.
No previous marine-science experience is required, just a healthy sense of curiosity and a passion for understanding and protecting the ocean.
CMIL is an urban marine research facility owned by San Diego State University where students and scientists perform research that helps them better understand the environmental problems affecting the Southern California coastline and how to address them.
Interns work one day a week during the 9-week program, which runs from June 6 until August 5. They participate in research on a wide range of topics including kelp forest food webs, lobster population dynamics, and seagrass communities. Through the program, interns will:
- Work one-on-one with a CMIL graduate student
- Learn how research works in a marine laboratory
- Attend professional development sessions
- Receive compensation for meals and transportation
Applications are due April 21.
For more information, contact internship Directors Jessica Griffin at jegriffin@ucdavis.edu or Lily McIntire at lmcintire3183@sdsu.edu.