The Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) offers students a unique opportunity to obtain cross-disciplinary training in the marine sciences and ecology. The four universities participating in PISCO provide educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels under the guidance of leading scientists from diverse fields.

Current traditions in graduate training make it extremely difficult for students to acquire a formal education in cross-disciplinary research. The tendency is for students to focus on the specific techniques and narrow research goals of the laboratory in which they work. Established lines of communication with labs in other disciplines are often absent, and no single university that we are aware of teaches the breadth of courses a student needs to be at the cutting edge of interdisciplinary ecological research.

PISCO addresses these challenges by offering a new approach to the training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Students are actively encouraged to spend time in the laboratories of consortium research faculty, and funding is available to provide for travel among universities and incidental research expenses. Based on the interests and needs of PISCO students, new courses in interdisciplinary approaches to marine ecology are developed by Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station.

To obtain information about graduate studies with PISCO, click here.