Field Marine Biology Quarter

Field Marine Biology Quarter (FMBQ) is a unique capstone experience that combines both aspects of the field biology quarter and marine biology quarter with one faculty being a specialist in the field and the other one in marine.

FMBQ Procedures and Requirements:

  • Consists of 16 upper division units of coursework
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 or above recommended
  • Counts as upper division electives in categories 4 and/or 5 for Biology majors
  • Preference are given to Marine Biology Majors, EBE Majors and to other students in the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department
  • Students in other departments are welcome to apply

Prerequisites:

Prerequisites for FMBQ usually consist of Life Sciences 7B, EE Biol 100, and Stats 13 (or its equivalent).

Application Process:

Applications are available a year in advance through the EEB Undergraduate BruinLearn and the department web site, www.eeb.ucla.edu. The selection process takes place at the end of the quarter of application.

Cost:

The typical cost of the FMBQ includes normal UCLA tuition and fees, plus transportation, room, and board paid to the EEB Department. If you will be living in the dorms the year you plan to participate in the FMBQ, you will need to cancel your housing contract for the quarter in which the FMBQ is offered (in writing to the Residence Hall’s Assignment Office) and request assignment for the quarter when you return. If you live in an apartment, you might consider subletting your room while you are gone, but be advised that you may not be gone the entire quarter. Please contact the Financial Aid Office, A129J Murphy Hall, 206-0400, to find out if your aid can cover these costs. Scholarship information is available at the Scholarship Resource Center, 233 Covel Commons, 206-2875.

Financial assistance:

The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology has funds available for financial assistance for students who wish to participate. Please talk with one of the undergraduate counselors about availability of funds and procedure for application for student scholarships.

WINTER 2024 FMBQ – Application Now Available

This FMBQ introduces advanced undergraduates to field studies on the ecology and behavior of organisms living in their natural environments. This program will be an intense, focused research and learning experience. Working in groups on projects you create, you will be taught the skills to ask research questions in the field, collect data, analyze the data, write up the results, and share your discoveries with your class in a research symposium. Most participants describe our field programs (FMBQ, MBQ, FBQ) as the highlight of their UCLA education. The program consists of 16 upper division units that fulfills the field/marine quarter capstone requirement for Ecology Behavior and Evolution majors and the marine quarter requirement for Marine Biology majors. For the Winter 2024 FMBQ, we will visit the UC Gump Field Station in Moorea, French Polynesia. The faculty are Dan Blumstein, a behavioral ecology and Peggy Fong, a marine ecologist.

Application Process:  Application may be found here.  For semi-finalists, a personal interview will be arranged through the EE Biology Undergraduate Office. Interviews will be scheduled soon after the application deadline, so please monitor your email.

DEADLINE to submit the application is FEBRUARY 28, 2023, at 4:00PM (PST).

This FMBQ:

  • Depends on students having the background provided in the prerequisite courses
  • Is a graduation requirement for Marine Biology and Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution majors
  • May apply to certain Upper Division (UD) Biology major requirements: Fall 2020 (Core Principles) or Pre-Fall 2020 (one Category 3 Lab; two Category UD EEB Electives; one Category 5 UD Science Electives) – check with one of the EEB Advisors for confirmation
  • Accepts students on a competitive basis, preferably with a GPA of at least 3.0
  • Preference is given to EBE and Marine Biology Majors and other students in the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department
  • Students in other departments are welcome to apply

Winter 2024 FMBQ Courses: (16 upper division units of coursework, 4 units for each course)

  • EE Biol 124A Field Ecology (Dr. Dan Blumstein)
  • EE Biol C126 Behavioral Ecology (Dr. Dan Blumstein)
  • EE Biol 123A Marine Ecology (Dr. Peggy Fong)
  • EE Biol 148 Biology of Marine Plants (Dr. Peggy Fong)

Cost:  The cost of the FMBQ will be normal registration fees and tuition, plus fees for additional costs associated with transportation, room, and board to be paid directly to the EEB Department.  If you are accepted for the Winter 2024 FMBQ, a non-refundable deposit will be due after the interview process is complete. The official per student cost will be communicated to students a minimum of one quarter prior to the start of the program. We can work with you to adjust your financial aid based on the extra expenses. There may also be specific partial need-based scholarships for which you are eligible to help offset fees and reduce your out of pocket expenses.

Prerequisites:  Prerequisites for the FMBQ are Life Sciences 7B; Stats 13/10 or Life Sciences 40; EE Biol 100; EE Biol 109; and the consent of the instructors. Recommended courses are EE Biology 100L, 109L, 122 and 129. It is preferred that students complete as much of the core curriculum for the Life Science majors as possible. Students must have a valid passport shortly after acceptance as this is needed to purchase plane tickets.

Snorkeling and Diving:  Snorkeling is required during the field quarter. However, during the course we will train any students that are not comfortable snorkeling, so this is not a barrier to application. Students that obtain their basic SCUBA certification must take an addition intensive scientific diving course that is offered at UCLA and several other Universities in order to dive in Moorea. If interested, please consult faculty as both basic SUCBA and this course must be completed prior to Winter 2024, so timing is critical.

WINTER 2022 FIELD/MARINE BIOLOGY QUARTER (FMBQ)

Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station, Mo’orea, French Polynesia

Instructors: Professors Peggy Fong and Daniel T. Blumstein

Winter 2022 Field and Marine Biology Quarter (FMBQ)

The FIELD/MARINE BIOLOGY QUARTER (FMBQ) is a field program planned to give advanced undergraduates an opportunity to gain intimate and firsthand knowledge of Mo’orea’s ecosystems by conducting meaningful research in them. Students design their own group projects to study fundamental questions about ecology, evolution, behavior and conservation. This FMBQ satisfies the field quarter requirement for the Marine Biology major and the Ecology, Biology, and Evolution (EBE) major. Qualified students in other majors and departments are welcome to apply.

Four 4-unit courses (16 units total) will be taught partially at UCLA and also in the field at the University of California, Berkeley, Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station, located in Mo’orea, French Polynesia (https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/research-unit/richard-b-gump-south-pacific-research).

Prerequisites include: EEB 100 and 109.

Strongly encouraged: 100L,109L, 122, and 129. Introductory statistics also encouraged.

Your application will be screened by the faculty and semi-finalists will be interviewed from which we will select finalists and create a back-up list. Need-based financial aid and scholarships are available to offset costs.

COVID-19 issues: The Gump Research Station is currently open and we expect it will be during our class in January/February 2022. If the need persists, our department will have a COVID-management plan that will be developed prior to the class and shared with all participants.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: New due date March 16 at 3PM (PST) 

Application available here:  https://forms.gle/RELFaUEXieL9Fv4p6

 

SPRING 2022 FIELD MARINE BIOLOGY QUARTER (FMBQ)

LOCATION: BODEGA BAY

Instructors: Dr. Tonya Kane, Dr. Brenda Larison

Spring 2022 Field and Marine Biology Quarter (FMBQ)

The Field Marine Biology Quarter (FMBQ) is a unique capstone experience that combines both aspects of the field biology quarter and marine biology quarter with one faculty being a specialist in the field and the other one in marine.

Prerequisites and recommended courses:  Prerequisites for the FBQ are Life Sciences 7B, EE Biol 100, or an equivalent course in animal ecology and behavior.  We also recommend that applicants take (1) one year of math and physics, (2) a course in statistics.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: APPLICATION CLOSED ON July 12, 2021 at 3PM (PST) 

Application available here: https://forms.gle/5ffU595pJcBPY7Z86 

Cost: Besides normal registration fees and tuition, there will be a mandatory student contribution to defray costs associated with the trip (travel, lodging, food, and supplies).  The student contribution for of the Spring 2022 trip remains to be determined. Scholarships are available for students with financial needs.

 

SPRING 2024 FIELD MARINE BIOLOGY QUARTER (FMBQ)

LOCATION: BODEGA BAY

Instructors: Dr. Tonya Kane, Dr. Brenda Larison

Spring 2024 Field and Marine Biology Quarter (FMBQ)

The Field Marine Biology Quarter (FMBQ) is a unique capstone experience that combines both aspects of the field biology quarter and marine biology quarter with one faculty being a specialist in the field and the other one in marine.

Prerequisites and recommended courses:  Prerequisites for the FBQ are Life Sciences 7B, EE Biol 100, or an equivalent course in animal ecology and behavior.  We also recommend that applicants take (1) one year of math and physics, (2) a course in statistics.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: November 6th at 5:00PM (PST) 

Application available here: https://tinyurl.com/spFMBQ2

Cost: Besides normal registration fees and tuition, there will be a mandatory student contribution to defray costs associated with the trip (travel, lodging, food, and supplies).  The student contribution for of the Spring 2024 trip remains to be determined. Scholarships may be available for students with financial needs.