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Island Life
You'll have a comfortable room, shared with another student, in our dormitory (dormitories were remodeled in 1997 and are quite nice by any dorm standards!). All rooms have windows, desks, lamps, dressers and small refrigerators. Nearby is the cafeteria, where meals are served at 7:30, 12:00 and 5:30 or so. There's a lounge in the cafeteria for reading, playing games and hanging out, and a coin-operated laundry nearby. It's a quick walk to the lab and the waterfront, where you'll be spending most of your time.
The northwest end of Catalina Island, where the WMSC is located, is wonderfully wild. Two Harbors, a tiny "town," is 2 miles (and a lovely walk) away along a dirt road. You'll find a small general store with a few essential items for sale, a shop for renting a mountain bike or diving gear, a restaurant and a snack bar. About 150 people live there year round; you'll meet some of the residents immediately because they work at the lab. In the summer, Two Harbors hops with visiting boaters, who moor in Isthmus Cove or nearby in Fourth of July and Cherry coves. In winter and spring, we have this area nearly to ourselves!
During our semester, the lab supports a small community of its own. The office and maintenance staff, faculty and YOU form the core of our winter-spring residents. Other people come to the lab for various reasons, especially scientists who visit to conduct research, schools who hold short-term classes, and visiting educational groups of all ages. They'll be sharing the dorm and cafeteria facilities with you, and are sure to make for some interesting conversation at meal time.
As the saying goes, "Climate is what you expect...weather is what you get!" Our winter and spring weather varies considerably from year to year. Expect some chilly weather, especially at night, plus some significant downpours--all sandwiched among spells of glorious sunshine. You'll see the island turn from golden-brown to vivid green, seemingly overnight--and you'll be here for the height of the wildflower season! It's best to dress in layers--include some rain gear and good walking boots for muddy roads in addition to shorts, T-shirts and a sun hat.
Our small library has basic reference books and a good collection of local guides to marine life. We have two computer labs furnished with both Macs and PCs, zip drives, printers and a scanner. All computers are connected to the Internet by a high-speed (T-1) cable. You'll definitely be in e-mail contact with the world! If you have a laptop computer, please bring it along - it will come in handy.
Our computer facilities are very important for obtaining references for your studies. USC supports many on-line journals--you can browse on-screen or select papers to print out. Literature not available online can be ordered electronically from USC's libraries or via interlibrary loan from any university library.
3616 Trousdale Parkway, AHF 410 Los Angeles, California 90089-0371 E-mail: catsem@usc.edu Phone: (213) 740-6780 Fax: (213) 740-6720 |
Your day can begin early, with a run or walk on winding trails with superb ocean views or some relaxing kayaking through the kelp beds--or you can roll out of bed in time for breakfast at 7:30am. The commute will take you
about 1 minute, and traffic is not an issue! Class begins at 9:00am, with lectures or discussions until lunch at noon. The afternoon is dedicated to lab work, field trips or discussion, with time before dinner for a quiet
walk, snorkeling in our marine refuge, or kayaking in the evening light.
Dinner is served at 6:00pm, followed, on occasion, by a journal club
discussion of a recent paper, or by independent study time in the lab,
library, or computer labs. After 9:00pm or so, enjoy conversation, music
and games (pingpong, pool...) in the common room, or catch up with friends
via e-mail in the computer labs.
