She had a long-standing interest in writing and had considered being an English major. In particular, “I was taught to ask questions and be critical, and that not everything published in the scientific literature is correct, which was a big revelation at that stage in my life.” She recalled taking former CCS Provost Adrian Wenner’s animal behavior class, which taught her to have a real love of natural history, particularly insects, and got her interested in the philosophy of science. Marlene remembers fondly several professors and experiences at CCS. “I felt like I had been plucked from the masses and given access to professors so that I could pursue my own interests,” she shared. “I thought CCS would be a great opportunity as students got credit for the amount of work we did and students were encouraged to do research-all of that interested me a lot.” She interviewed with Ian Ross, who became her advisor, and transferred to CCS. Sometime during her first year she heard about CCS. She remembers being in an introductory biology class with hundreds of people and felt she was not getting a chance to do the things she wanted to do in college. “For someone who didn’t really know what college was about, it was an intimidating experience to be an undergrad in a large school,” Marlene recalls. She ended up at UCSB where she started as a regular biology major. Marlene was in a UC program designed to help high school students get into UC schools. Her parents were immigrants and, though supportive, were not familiar with applying to college or that some schools were better than others. Marlene grew up in Los Angeles and was a first-generation college student. I could make my own decisions about what was important and valuable to me.” As an undergrad at CCS, I appreciated that everyone took me seriously and allowed me to make my own decisions.” Marlene shared that, “It may be minor, all things considered, but there are many schools where you couldn’t ever do that. “I became more engaged as a biologist by being at CCS. During a recent conversation with CCS, Marlene shared the impact CCS had in her life. Marlene Zuk is a distinguished American evolutionary biologist and behavioral ecologist.
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