Biodiversity in the Global Ocean - Incorporating Molecular Biology in Field-based Approaches to Undergraduate Studies of Marine Conservation.

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This project improves the effectiveness of undergraduate teaching and learning in science through a new problem/project-based, field-intensive curriculum that integrates scientific research with its application in the construction of public policy. In the pilot semester-long program, undergraduate students address the largely unexplored but emerging issue of high seas conservation. The curriculum is modeling an innovative three-stage approach. During the initial discovery phase the students operate as a research team to develop a conceptual framework that identifies gaps in biodiversity research and in the methods used in ocean conservation. Students subsequently employ modern molecular and classic morphological techniques to accurately measure biodiversity during a month-long research cruise in the Sargasso Sea. In the final application phase, students synthesize their results, generating comprehensive science-based policy recommendations, and present and defend these recommendations to scientists and public stakeholders. This project seamlessly integrates research and education as students make significant contributions to long-term databases used by the international scientific community and tackle current global-scale environmental challenges. Students participating in this program not only acquire leading-edge technical sophistication in marine science research, but the wisdom, concepts, and skills necessary to effectively operate within the world of public policy. By changing the focus to local conservation topics, the curriculum is being adapted for use at other institutions, including those without access to the ocean environment.