Future world economic, resource, and technology issues will require individuals with the skills and perspectives necessary to solve marine resource problems. The Sea Grant trainee program is producing future generations of scientists, business people, and policymakers.
Research projects sponsored by California Sea Grant generally include support for at least one graduate student trainee, who is selected by the research scientist. Approximately 900 students have been involved in the California Sea Grant trainee program since its inception in 1968.
The Sea Grant traineeship program allows graduate students to conduct research under faculty guidance with the dual purposes of performing important research and satisfying education requirements for master's and doctoral theses in fields as diverse as oceanography, ecology, engineering, law, geology, and food science. Students working on Sea Grant projects are acquiring skills and experience that will allow them to complete their own thesis research.
Where are these former trainees now? A survey showed that the largest group currently holds faculty or research positions at colleges, universities, and other academic institutions, followed by federal, state, or local government programs, and private industry. Other trainees are now pursuing postdoctoral degrees, teaching at the secondary level, or are in the legal profession.