WINTER 2024 FMBQ – Application Now Available

This FMBQ introduces advanced undergraduates to field studies on the ecology and behavior of organisms living in their natural environments. This program will be an intense, focused research and learning experience. Working in groups on projects you create, you will be taught the skills to ask research questions in the field, collect data, analyze the data, write up the results, and share your discoveries with your class in a research symposium. Most participants describe our field programs (FMBQ, MBQ, FBQ) as the highlight of their UCLA education. The program consists of 16 upper division units that fulfills the field/marine quarter capstone requirement for Ecology Behavior and Evolution majors and the marine quarter requirement for Marine Biology majors. For the Winter 2024 FMBQ, we will visit the UC Gump Field Station in Moorea, French Polynesia. The faculty are Dan Blumstein, a behavioral ecology and Peggy Fong, a marine ecologist.

Application Process:  Application may be found here.  For semi-finalists, a personal interview will be arranged through the EE Biology Undergraduate Office. Interviews will be scheduled soon after the application deadline, so please monitor your email.

DEADLINE to submit the application is FEBRUARY 28, 2023, at 4:00PM (PST).

This FMBQ:

• Depends on students having the background provided in the prerequisite courses
• Is a graduation requirement for Marine Biology and Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution majors
• May apply to certain Upper Division (UD) Biology major requirements: Fall 2020 (Core Principles) or Pre-Fall 2020 (one Category 3 Lab; two Category UD EEB Electives; one Category 5 UD Science Electives) – check with one of the EEB Advisors for confirmation
• Accepts students on a competitive basis, preferably with a GPA of at least 3.0
• Preference is given to EBE and Marine Biology Majors and other students in the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department
• Students in other departments are welcome to apply

Winter 2024 FMBQ Courses: (16 upper division units of coursework, 4 units for each course)

• EE Biol 124A Field Ecology (Dr. Dan Blumstein)
• EE Biol C126 Behavioral Ecology (Dr. Dan Blumstein)
• EE Biol 123A Marine Ecology (Dr. Peggy Fong)
• EE Biol 148 Biology of Marine Plants (Dr. Peggy Fong)

Cost:  The cost of the FMBQ will be normal registration fees and tuition, plus fees for additional costs associated with transportation, room, and board to be paid directly to the EEB Department.  If you are accepted for the Winter 2024 FMBQ, a non-refundable deposit will be due after the interview process is complete. The official per student cost will be communicated to students a minimum of one quarter prior to the start of the program. We can work with you to adjust your financial aid based on the extra expenses. There may also be specific partial need-based scholarships for which you are eligible to help offset fees and reduce your out of pocket expenses.

Prerequisites:  Prerequisites for the FMBQ are Life Sciences 7B; Stats 13/10 or Life Sciences 40; EE Biol 100; EE Biol 109; and the consent of the instructors. Recommended courses are EE Biology 100L, 109L, 122 and 129. It is preferred that students complete as much of the core curriculum for the Life Science majors as possible. Students must have a valid passport shortly after acceptance as this is needed to purchase plane tickets.

Snorkeling and Diving:  Snorkeling is required during the field quarter. However, during the course we will train any students that are not comfortable snorkeling, so this is not a barrier to application. Students that obtain their basic SCUBA certification must take an addition intensive scientific diving course that is offered at UCLA and several other Universities in order to dive in Moorea. If interested, please consult faculty as both basic SUCBA and this course must be completed prior to Winter 2024, so timing is critical.