Environmental DNA Education for Undergraduates

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Courses

We run undergraduate courses at UC Santa Cruz and UCLA as part of Beth Shapiro and Bob Wayne’s HHMI Professorship programs. One course is called California’s DNA, and the other is called Biodiversity In the Age of Human. We’re happy to discuss these and share materials.



Summer Internships

Each summer, undergraduates can apply for hands-on summer research internships at UCLA and UCSC.

Check out these fellowship opportunities to support summer research with CALeDNA!

Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program

CAMINO Internships at UCSC

HHMI Summer Research Internship Program — applications open in March 2023



Part Time Research Positions

We also have part time technician positions open from time to time. We suggest you write to individual labs to inquire.

 

Past Undergraduate Interns and Projects

Malia Mosser (Meyer Lab, Palkovaks Lab, in collaboration with David Herbst) is barcoding benthic macroinvertebrates, identifying benthic macroinvertebrates by hand, and metabarcoding environmental samples from the Sierra Stream Institute sentinel sites.

Haylee Bregoff (Meyer Lab) is investigating biodiversity after wildfire in the Santa Monica Mountains and desert oases. She is working in collaboration with doctoral candidates Sabrina Shirazi and Rachel Turba de Paula.

Sam Rapp (Meyer Lab) is investigating the species in soil and sediment samples that might naturally catch and hold on to DNA from other species in the local environment, aka ‘Diversity Congregators’.

Kiumars Edalati (Wayne Lab) is investigating the diversity of Mojave Desert Springs. He is working in collaboration with Maura Palacios Mejia.

Alicia Gibbons (Wayne Lab) is interested in the diversity of Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve. She is working in collaboration with Ana Garcia Vedrenne.

Charlotte Cosca (Jacobs Lab) is focused on the 2018 Malibu Lagoon fish die off. She is working in collaboration with Rachel Turba de Paula.

Lauren Man (Barber Lab) is quantifying spatial and temporal variation of eDNA in kelp forests and rocky reefs. She is working in collaboration with Zack Gold.