Build Your Skills on Beautiful Catalina Island
Want to learn new skills or gain more confidence for internships and job opportunities? Looking for more real-world experience in the field, lab, or workplace? We have a workshop for you!
Through our Weekend Workshop series for undergraduate students, you can experience our Catalina Island campus while developing valuable skills that will make you a stronger candidate for internships and jobs. Each fast-paced, 2- or 3-day course covers a specific theme focused on lab, field, or workplace activities in the environment and sustainability.
To stay up-to-date about upcoming Weekend Workshops, complete the interest form below.
How it Works
Our new Weekend Workshops are designed to provide first or early field, lab, and professional development opportunities for USC undergraduate students.
All courses in the Weekend Workshop series include a 2- or 3-day stay at the Wrigley Marine Science Center (WMSC), the Wrigley Institute’s satellite campus on Catalina Island. Students complete a fast-paced, activity-packed schedule that includes hands-on experiences in the field and/or lab.
If you have questions about the Weekend Workshop Toolkit series, please contact Wrigley Institute Education Coordinator Meghan MacGregor.
Weekend Workshops
See the program descriptions below for information on the types of learning opportunities available through this program.
To stay up-to-date about upcoming Weekend Workshops, complete the interest form below.
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Eligibility:
- Weekend Workshops are open to undergraduate students in their first or second year at USC, including recent transfer students
Required Commitments:
- Attend a virtual pre-trip departure meeting the week before trip departure
- Complete ~2 hours of pre-trip prep work
- Attend events with the intent to engage, learn, and collaborate.
- Adhere to trip guidelines, USC policies, and community agreements while participating in the trip.
- Complete and turn in all required forms and waivers.
- Pay a non-refundable participant fee for the trip. This fee covers housing and activities on Catalina Island, transportation, and meals. This will be due 1 week prior to the trip departure date.
* Eligibility and requirements are subject to change
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Learn oceanographic techniques in the field and lab. This workshop provides training in skills such as water sampling, data collection, and laboratory work. It is designed for students interested in careers in scientific research and marine science.
Trip Schedule:
- Friday: Travel to the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island, where you’ll check into your rooms for the weekend, get oriented to the island, and get to know the local marine life with an afternoon snorkel in our local marine protected area.
- Saturday: You’ll get an introduction to basic oceanographic methods with Wrigley Institute Senior Scientist Diane Kim and colleagues. You’ll also be introduced to harmful algal bloom monitoring methods and have the opportunity to contribute to statewide water quality datasets.
- Sunday: You’ll finish up any lab work and debrief before heading home on a morning boat. You’ll return to campus around lunchtime!
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Learn about the natural history of Catalina Island from local ecologists in the field. This workshop provides practice in skills such as species identification, and scientific interpretation, and in concepts such as conservation management and human-environment interactions. It is designed for students who are interested in fields such as conservation, environmental education, and museum work.