Marine Semester
The Marine Semester is designed to provide both Marine Science majors and interested Biology students with intensive academic and research experiences in marine science. Structured differently from the typical academic semester, students take four courses in successive blocks. Each block is typically 18 to 20 days, during which students focus on a single subject area. This structure allows students time for hands-on experiments, fieldwork outside the classroom, and a number of different opportunities for off-campus courses. In addition to on-campus courses, the program includes travel courses in Belize (Central America), in Scituate, MA. (departure point for the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary), at the New England Aquarium, and courses in Woods Hole, MA, and the Caribbean in partnership with the Sea Education Association.
Marine Science majors participate in at least one Marine Semester, typically in the junior and/or senior year. The Marine Semester is also open to Biology majors and non-BU students as long as they meet prerequisite requirements.
For more details on the Marine Semester, visit the Boston University Marine Program website.
Contacts
Professor Richard W. Murray
Director
Boston University Marine Program
Department of Earth Sciences, CAS 135
675 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
rickm@bu.edu
Phone: 617-353-6532
Professor Les Kaufman
Associate Director
Boston University Marine Program
Department of Biology, BRB 313
5 Cummington Street
Boston, MA 02215
lesk@bu.edu
Phone: 617-353-5560
Jen Ryan
BUMP Program Manager
Boston University Marine Program
675 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 141A
Boston, MA 02215
jer@bu.edu
Phone: (617) 358-4961
Fax: (617) 353-3290
Our Undergrads
Erin McDougal works in Professor Jelle Atema's laboratory studying female American lobster mating preferences for healthy versus shell-diseased males.
Florencia Rago, a Biochemistry & Molecular Biology major, works with Dean Tolan on enzyme protein structure and function. She is a Beckman Scholar supported by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation.
Verity Salmon is a senior who currently works in Professor Adrien Finzi's lab. Her project examines the role of tannins in soil nutrient cycling,
Peter Stetson works with Professors Phil Lobel and Les Kaufman on coral reef mapping technologies in Belize.
Beth Cimini works in Professor William Eldred’s laboratory on signaling pathways involving the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the retina.