Departmental Brochure

Whatever your major as a student at Fairfield, you will have the opportunity to participate in a minor program in marine science, an exciting area of study that holds promise of important advances in the next century. Fairfield provides a faculty well-versed in environmental issues, the opportunity to study in the natural laboratory of the environs of Long Island Sound, and a commitment to small classes and hands-on learning experiences. The University is neighbor to a number of federal, state, and private institutions involved in marine education and research. Many of them offer internships to marine science students from Fairfield and such experiences can help you to decide on your own career path. The minor program is excellent preparation for a variety of careers related to environmental concerns and for graduate study as well.

Course of Study

Six courses totalling 15 to 17 credits are necessary to complete the minor in marine science. The following is required:

• Introduction to Marine Science

You may choose four other courses from a list of electives including:

• Tropical Marine Biology
• Marine Biology
• Aquaculture
• Marine Invertabrate Zoology
• Pollution in the Environment
• Coral Reef Ecology Seminar
• Independent Research I and II
• Internships
• Atlantic Coast Seminar

You will be encouraged to take as many as six credits of research and/or internship experience as part of your program of electives by participating in programs such as MUSE (Marine Undergraduate Soundwaters Experience). The program also allows credit for approved courses at off-campus institutions during the summer or in a semester exchange program such as the SeaSemester Program.

Faculty

The program in marine science draws faculty from several departments in the College of Arts and Sciences. They are listed here with their primary areas of teaching and research interest:

Jack Beal
Ph.D., Michigan State University
Physics, environmental studies

Diane J. Brousseau
Ph.D., University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Biology
Zoology

Jen Klug
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
Biology
Aquatic ecology

Raymond P. Poincelot
Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University
Biology
Biochemistry, horticulture

Kraig Steffen
Ph.D., University of Arizona
Chemistry

Research Opportunities

Fairfield's location in the coastal environs of Long Island Sound provides a rich opportunity for studies of a highly productive ecosystem with an array of important finfish, shellfish, birds, sea turtles, marine mammals, and other wildlife. You can also study aspects of the impact on the marine environment of major urban areas nearby. Several students studying marine science have been co-authors with faculty of research papers published in professional journals in recent years.

Internships

Some examples of what students have been doing in internships are: assisting with exhibits and public education at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk and the Mystic Marinelife Aquarium; conducting studies of plants and intertidal vertebrates in the Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center in Milford; participating in studies of shellfish aquaculture and marine bioinvaders at the National Marine Fisheries Laboratory in Milford; and working as a crew member and assisting in learning activities aboard a floating classroom at Soundwaters, in Stamford.

Life After Fairfield

Recent graduates have entered the following graduate programs: the Marine Program at Boston University, Marine Fisheries at Auburn University, School of Fisheries at the University of Massachusetts, Marine Policy at the University of Maryland, and Marine Science at the University of Georgia. Others have been employed in marine research, consulting, and education at public and private institutions including: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Marine Fisheries Service, Florida Department of Natural Resources, Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Connecticut Audubon Coastal Center, Schooner Inc., Save the Sound, and Soundwaters.

For further information please contact:
Dr. Diane Brousseau, program director
Bannow Science Center 214
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT 06824-5195
(203) 254-4000, Ext. 2739
E-mail: brousseau@mail.fairfield.edu