Introduction of Spectroradiometry into the Undergraduate Marine Science Curriculum and Special Programs at the Shannon Point Marine Center

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Through the Shannon Point Marine Center and its marine science curriculum, science majors who may pursue graduate education, community college students who are assessing their interest in pursuing marine science as a major, and advanced undergraduates participating in Shannon Point Marine Center National Undergraduate Marine Education Center (NUMEC) programs are served. NUMEC provides students from around the United States access to marine science studies at a marine center within the context of their ongoing undergraduate programs at their home institutions. Three programs operate within NUMEC: the Minorities in Marine Science Undergraduate Program, the Research Experience for Undergraduates Site program, and the Fall Quarter-in-Residence. All of the programs provide undergraduates with unique opportunities to become educated in the most recent concepts in marine science, to be trained in state-of-the art techniques used in marine research, and to engage in supervised, independent research. With the spectroradiometer, students can use advanced technology to quantitatively address ecologically relevant questions ranging from UV-B effects on invertebrate larvae to influences of light quality on microbial community structure. The instrument has enormous value in teaching basic oceanographic principles previously discussed only in lectures. It is being applied in the curricula of Oceanography, Algae, Marine Ecology, Marine Invertebrate Biology, and Current Trends in Marine Science courses. The benefits of this tool, however, extend far beyond formal coursework. Given the current concern for global issues, students are increasingly interested in problems such as ozone depletion and global warming. This equipment places an exciting, computer-based research tool in the hands of undergraduates who are using it to do meaningful, imaginative research.