UCLA's Marine Operations Program (MOPs) offers a unique, undergraduate-driven educational research experience that bridges classroom learning with real-world applications in marine science. This innovative program, centered around the research vessel Zodiac, provides hands-on learning opportunities for hundreds of students per year in research cruises to the local continental shelf and slope off the coast of California.
A dedicated captain/technician facilitates the cruises, which are incorporated into a range of undergraduate courses in the Departments of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS), Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences (EPSS), Geography, Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB). Faculty members integrate educational field trips into their curriculum, reinforcing theoretical concepts with practical applications through small-group experiences aboard the Zodiac, fostering academic and professional growth in oceanography while collecting observational oceanographic data for researchers across campus. Students develop crucial skills by deploying scientific instruments, making direct observations of ocean phenomena by visualizing data in real time, and using the data they collected to answer scientific questions.
Additionally, the program offers extended engagement opportunities through independent research projects, experience crewing a research vessel, and operating and maintaining scientific instruments. This unique initiative not only enhances the quality of undergraduate instruction but also contributes to the development of the next generation of marine scientists, setting a new standard for undergraduate engagement in oceanographic research.
UCLA Marine Operations gratefully acknowledges partial support from the Division of Physical Sciences Dean’s Office to support the educational development of the Zodiac.
For further information about this program or to request that UCLA Zodiac cruises be included into additional UCLA undergraduate courses, please contact aoszodiac@g.ucla.edu.