Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 72.81
Liaison Austin Eriksson
Submission Date Nov. 29, 2021

STARS v2.2

California State University, Northridge
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Sarah Johnson
Sustainability Program Analyst
Institute for Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution offer at least one immersive, sustainability-focused educational study program that is one week or more in length?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s) offered by the institution:

CSUN marine biology majors have the opportunity to participate in a semester-long immersive experience based at the Wrigley Marine Science Center (WMSC), situated on Santa Catalina Island, CA. The 15 week program provides an intensive undergraduate exposure to marine biology, and is designed for students with a serious commitment to environmental and marine science. Through course work and hands-on study, students learn about ocean health, effects of CO2 on marine systems, over-fishing, the efficacy of Marine Protected Areas and many more sustainability focused topics. This program is a strategic alliance of 22 major universities, colleges, and foundations in Southern California committed to providing marine expertise and hands-on experience to students at all levels, to achieve the highest and most efficacious level of research, to monitor the marine environment and to increase public awareness.

CSUN biology students can participate in a Tropical Biology Semester which consists of concurrent coursework totaling 16 units, appropriate for upper-division undergraduate or graduate credit. The purpose of the courses is to expose students to the biology of the Neotropics by visiting the major ecosystems/plant communities of Ecuador. Three courses and a seminar address biodiversity, zoology, ecology, and conservation by integrating a strong field component with lectures, labs, and discussions of relevant literature. Students will conduct field projects that will incorporate experimental design, field techniques, data analysis, and the presentation of information as a scientific paper and as a poster.


Website URL where information about the institution’s immersive education programs is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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