Geology students embark on research cruise

Dr. Anthony Rathburn leads oceanography project

By California State University, Bakersfield

January 8^th, 2020

A cruise in San Diego might sound like a time for fruity drinks, tanning and a good beach read, but for California State University, Bakersfield undergraduates it has been a unique research opportunity they likely wouldn’t get anywhere else.

Helmed in part by Dr. Anthony Rathburn, department chair of Geological Sciences at CSUB, the oceanography project started in 2018 with the goal of getting students interested in marine sciences, a field that might not first come to mind for anyone studying in the Central Valley.

With funding from the National Science Foundation and the W.M. Keck Foundation, the project invites students of all years and majors onboard research vessels like the R/V Oceanus, R/V R. G. Sproul and the R/V Sally Ride. The fifth of nine planned expeditions took place in September 2019, where CSUB students, along with others from the University of San Diego, got to work with scientists from both schools as well as from Oklahoma State University and Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

“Students are working hand-in-hand and elbow-to-elbow with research scientists,” Dr. Rathburn said. “When we’re out at sea, students are treated as real scientists, so whether you’re a freshman or a senior, you’re given responsibilities, you’re trained, and you are doing hands-on research.”

Geology students embark on research cruise

Plenty of activity takes place at sea and students, more than 40 to date, are at the heart of all of it. Using high-tech equipment, students and mentoring scientists gather water, rock, and seafloor sediment samples from as deep as 6,824 feet. This research, which students continue to work on back on the CSUB campus, looks at ocean and climate changes over time.

The program was funded in part by a $150,000 grant awarded to CSUB's department of Geological Sciences by the W.M. Keck Foundation. The grant, "Introducing Undergraduate Students to Ocean Science Research," supported the program by allowing it to get a new analytical instrument to build a modern geochemistry teaching laboratory.

Dr. Rathburn and his students study foraminifera, a microscopic, single-celled organism that lives at the bottom of the ocean. Sensitive to environmental change, they leave a fossil record and generate shell-like skeleton about the size of a grain of sand. The research looks at how these creatures are affected by changes in oxygen levels; by studying the living organisms found on the expedition, then examining their fossil record, the scientists can learn more about paleoenvironmental conditions.

“By looking at the fossil record, we can see how the environment, oceans and climate have changed through time based on these tiny organisms,” Dr. Rathburn said.

Though it may seem like there’s not much relevance for marine science in the Central Valley, the area was once underwater some 15 million years ago.

“Marine environments cover 70% of the planet so as geoscientists that’s an important aspect to focus on,” Dr. Rathburn said. “In addition, most of the economic-oriented geologic deposits in the Valley have a marine origin, so students that are interested in the geology of the Valley need to know how marine environments, marine sediments and marine geology work.”

For geology major Chris Chavez, the research cruise was a transformative experience. He heard about the trip in his oceanography class, where his interest in marine science was already starting to be piqued.

“I enjoyed oceanography when I took the class, and getting into this research, I think I’ve found that it’s something that I really, really like,” Chavez said. “It’s kind of decided for me that oceanography is what I want to get into in graduate school.”

Chavez has now gone on two research cruises and spends much of his free time in the lab analyzing the samples. Over the summer he was putting in around 15 hours a week. It’s a lot of work, he said, but he’s grateful for the chance to learn more and make connections that could help him in the future.

Natural science major Rebeca Guerrero is in the credential program to become a science teacher and says the expedition has already made its way into her own classroom. She uses her experience on the cruise to expose her students to real-world scientific research.

“Plus, Dr. Rathburn gave me deep-sea sediment to show my class and they were so excited!” she says. “Who would have thought that a group of eighth-graders would be so intrigued and excited about mud! A little bit of deep-sea sediment can plant the seed for my students to pursue a career in science, and that is all thanks to an incredible experience out at sea.”

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Footnotes

Story by Kelly Ardis, communications specialist for the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering; Photos provided by Dr. Anthony Rathburn.

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FootNotes

Story by Kelly Ardis, communications specialist for the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering; Photos provided by Dr. Anthony Rathburn.

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Geology students embark on research cruise

Dr. Anthony Rathburn leads oceanography project

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