Giving

Your Gift Can Make A World Of Difference.

Support a sustainable future for the oceans and our coast by partnering with the Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute and the Bodega Marine Laboratory to assist in advancing the understanding of marine science through innovative teaching and research, student scholarship in marine science, and community outreach programs.

General Support

Your gift of unrestricted support allows Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute (CMSI) and Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML) leadership to direct your contribution flexibly, where it will provide the most benefit. Unrestricted donations are applied to support research innovations, educating future scientists and leaders and outreach activities for discovering, understanding, and communicating science.

Thoughts On Giving From One Of Our Donors:

"It has been a privilege to help support the CMSI Bodega Marine Laboratory as a donor and as a docent. With skepticism of science on the rise, helping a broader audience connect to science and scientists has never been more important. BML’s outreach and internship programs offer K-12, junior college students, and lifelong learners a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet and work with some of the leading faculty and researchers in coastal and marine science. These interactions change lives and create champions for coastal science and sustainability.”

~ Roger Patton

Make a Gift to the CMSI General Support Fund

Make a Gift to the Bodega Marine Laboratory General Support Fund

Student Support

Whether you are an alumnus who has benefitted from your own UC Davis and Bodega Marine Laboratory experiences, a passionate supporter of California’s unique coastal ecosystems, or simply a firm believer in the transformative power of hands-on education -- your donation will directly benefit the training and success of the next generation of ocean scientists.

Make a Gift to the Undergraduate Student Support Fund

Coastal and Marine Sciences students studying at the Bodega Marine Laboratory learn to think critically and independently, and many are inspired to pursue graduate studies and careers in science. Tuition, room, and board can be a significant financial obstacle for many students. This fund provides scholarships to undergraduate students who might otherwise be unable to take courses at BML.

Make a Gift to the Dr. Susan Lynn Williams Memorial Graduate Award

This fund was established in honor of Dr. Susan Lynn Williams, a distinguished professor of evolution and ecology at UC Davis and an inspired proponent of marine education and ocean conservation. Susan joined UC Davis and the Bodega Marine Laboratory family in 2000 where she served as the lab director until 2010, when she returned to full-time research and instruction. Donations given in her name will be directed towards the Bodega Marine Laboratory, specifically to support graduate students working on coastal research that focuses on marine ecology.

The Impacts Of Expanded Opportunities

For over 50 years, Bodega Marine Laboratory has offered unique, hands-on courses and research training in the marine sciences. For many students, these are truly life-changing experiences that provide opportunities to:

Live and study at a state-of-the-art marine laboratory
Work closely with world-class faculty
Gain hands-on research experience
Explore the diversity of marine life within a spectacular natural reserve
Become active members of a vibrant academic community
Develop lifelong friendships.

Why is Student Support So Important?

“My experiences at BML (both the spring student experience and staying on for a summer to help with Randall's eelgrass studies) were my most fond memories of college and had a direct impact on me pursuing a career in academics and research. The collaborative almost family-like community at BML and the hands-on training were integral to me understanding what a "good" research environment looks like and helped me to develop an inquisitiveness about our world that I don't think I had prior to BML. I recently became assistant professor of medicine in the division of pulmonary and critical care at Boston University and Boston Medical Center. Taking care of our sickest patients in the ICU during this pandemic and seeing the disruption to medical student training due to COVID-19 has made me reflect and realize that I can be doing more to help others, especially students during this difficult time. Going forward, I plan to expand my contributions to BML and CMSI as I think that the experience and mission of research, training, and family at BML is unique and incredibly valuable to the community and to UC Davis.”

- Nicholas Bosch, UC Davis Alumnus and Donor

Explore the unique experience of studying at the Bodega Marine Laboratory in this short video. Student support gifts help provide room, board, and transportation costs that make it possible for students to take courses at Bodega Marine Laboratory and to experience and explore the coast in challenging and exciting ways.