CSU Monterey Bay students got their hands dirty this summer, and they shared their work with the public.

Celia Jiménez here, thinking about the projects students from CSU Monterey Bay presented on Friday, Aug. 7 during the CSUMB Summer Research Symposium, where they shared what they’ve worked on over the summer. 

Some projects took place over a few weeks while others were part of longer projects, including restoring native Olympia oysters in Elkhorn Slough, studying the diversity of sea creatures that live near the Monterey wharf and finding ways to prevent mice from reaching crops. 

There were more than 100 projects displayed at the Tanimura & Antle Family Memorial Library. 

The normally quiet environment was bustling with students, teachers and family members. 

Many scenes were happening at the same time, from serious faces going through their presentation, others smiling while their proud parents were taking pictures, to students answering questions from the people who stopped by to talk with them. 

One thing was certain: To get data, you have to get your hands dirty or wait for hours until you catch a rodent. 

I judged six presentations; it was a mix of ag, marine biology and AI projects. The busiest of the day seemed to be Joel Viaroto Arambula, whose team tested different types of fencing to prevent mice intrusion into crops.

Despite neither studying marine biology, Diana Carrasco and Eric Martinez presented their findings on fish abundance and diversity in eelgrass, red algae and the border between them. They were enthusiastic and immediately shared their hypothesis: Eelgrass would have more fish. But that turned out to not be the case. They also shared how they used an underwater drone to get footage and analyze it. 

I could tell from the students’ experiences that they either found new areas to explore or ones they shouldn’t pursue in the future.