Symposium offers undergraduate researchers important forum

By Mark Muckenfuss

Getting started as researchers came early for Laine Beardsley and Kia McEntee. Not only did the two Cal State Monterey Bay marine science majors get involved in the first semester of their freshman year, but they often had to get up before sunrise to gather their data on black abalone populations. 

“It was a lot of early mornings because of summer low tides,” said Beardsley, of San Antonio, Texas, “like 4 a.m. and 5 a.m.”

McEntee, of Thousand Oaks, did much of the clambering over tidal escarpments to count the abalone, while Beardsley recorded the numbers. 

 “I’d check around on all of these rocks and stick my head in all of these crevices,” she said. 

The results of their work were on display Friday, Aug. 7, as part of the Summer Research Symposium put on by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center. The annual event is a showcase for student researchers and their mentors and, this year, included topics as diverse as sleep deprivation and how it affects the working memory of college students, to optimizing 3D computer-generated characters for interactive art. 

“This is definitely bigger than last year,” said John “Buck” Banks, director of UROC, comparing participation in this year’s event. “We have 130 (research) posters and 16 oral presentations.”

The program added Los Angeles Valley College as a partner this year, which accounted for some of the increased numbers, Banks said. Monterey Peninsula and Gavilan colleges also participate. Greater interest from some academic disciplines has also helped.

“Mechatronics has taken off,” Banks said. “We have a lot more students interested in engineering. And, I would say, we have a lot more interested in computer science.”

UROC was established in 2009, he added. Since that time, the program has grown, along with funding resources and student interest. 

“Students are recognizing that in today’s job market, research can help propel them forward,” he said.

CSUMB provides avenues to pursue such research. 

I would be silly not to look into research,” said environmental science major Ian Buchanan of San Diego. “There’s so much you get out of it.”

Buchanan is going into his senior year and is planning to continue the research he did over the summer on post-wildfire debris flows. He was inspired to look into the topic by one of his professors, James Guillinger.

“He had a lot of passion for it,” Buchanan said. “I really admired that, and I was really interested in it. With climate change, we’re seeing more wildfires and more debris flows, which can be incredibly deadly. The more you know about the natural world, the more safety measures you can take.”

Just as flowing mud and debris can be a danger, so too can flowing sand. In the Monterey Bay area, sand dunes often encroach upon Highway 1, creating potential traffic hazards. Sand dune “blow-outs,” which are essentially wind-carved canyons, can be a major contributor to the problem.

“We’re seeing a higher frequency of blowouts, and we want to know why,” said student researcher Reagan Schlueter, of Orange, a senior in environmental science. “We want to see if [they] are coming from the beach, littoral cells or the dune itself.”

Being able to do such work as an undergraduate, Schlueter said, “is an amazing opportunity to have. It gives you an opportunity to see what you can do. 

“Networking is a huge benefit,” she added. “I’ve gone to a couple of conferences and met a lot of people.”

Starting as freshmen, Beardsley and McEntee think their research will give them an even bigger advantage in their future endeavors. They plan to continue their abalone study into the fall. 

“This will probably become a long-term project,” Beardsley said.

They are gaining confidence, but are hesitant about whether they feel like scientists yet.

“I’m starting to,” Beardsley said. 

“A little bit,” McEntee agreed, before smiling. “I had to buy a lab coat.”