MARCUS ERIKSEN, Ph.D.
2122 S. Spaulding Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90016, (323) 395-1843, [email protected]
EDUCATION
2003
Ph.D. Science Education, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
Dissertation: Immersion Effect in Recreated Natural Environments
1994
M.A. Curriculum and Instruction, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, La.
Thesis title: Effective Exhibit Design for a Robotic Dinosaur Exhibit
1992
B.S. Secondary Education, Earth Science, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, La
Louisiana Teaching Credential in Secondary Education – Earth Science.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Spring 2009 - present. Co-founder, 5 Gyres Institute, Los Angeles, CA (5gyres.org)
Supervision of transoceanic research expeditions, education projects and campaigns, to
understand the ecological impacts of plastic marine pollution. 5 Gyres Institute is the
first organization to investigate the impact of plastic pollution on the marine
environment globally, primarily documenting the presence of accumulation zones in the
five subtropical gyres.
2004 – 2010. Director of Program Development. Algalita Marine Research Foundation,
Long Beach, CA. (www.algalita.org)
Develop and staff the education department for the organization, assist in the design and
execution of research programs. Educational programs included traveling exhibitions and an
educational video series titled “Watershed Wonders” teaching conservation to primary and
secondary school audiences.
Watershed Wonders educational video series. As writer and host I’ve created three
episodes to date: WW: Coastal Wetlands and the Journey of FLUKE, WW: Bottle
Rocket Down the Mississippi River, and WW: Cola Kayak and the Los Angeles River.
The next episode details a trans-Pacific voyage on a plastic bottle raft.
Research. Research projects include “Quantification of plastic marine pollution in the
sediments of urban watersheds”, “Distribution of microplastics in the marine
environment,” and “Ingestion of microplastics by foraging fish.”
1996 – present. Founder. Mission Science. Los Angeles, CA. (www.missionscience.com)
Mission Science is a mobile natural history museum providing learning experiences for local
schools, the general public and other museums and science centers in Southern California.
Expeditions – Since 1998, Mission Science has led expeditions to the Late Cretaceous,
Lance Formation in Eastern Wyoming. A program titled, “Excavacation,” successfully
brings 5-10 science teachers to the field for a one-week course on the geology and
paleontology of the Wyoming region. We have successfully excavated four partial
skeletons of Triceratops horridus, and a mummified partial skeleton of Edmontosaurs
annectens with skin impressions.
Traveling Exhibition - “Dinosaurs,” includes a life-size steel sculpture of a triceratops
including 40% real bones, two full-size dinosaur skulls and five other exhibit cases.
Outreach Programs – Two programs are offered to K-12 schools throughout Southern
California. The programs, “Paleontology” and “Geology of California,” have been
presented to more than 100,000 over the last decade.
Fossil Reproductions – A catalog of fossil casts, including life-size reconstructions of a
triceratops leg, skull, and a T-rex skull, are available for schools and small museums.
Reproductions have been purchased by California State University at Fullerton,
Geological Society of America, and Southern University of Lafayette in Louisiana.
Video Series – An educational series titled MISSION SCIENCE, which follows an
adventurous mission with explorations in science along the way, has produced two
episodes.
The first episode, “Dino Dig,” followed an expedition to the badlands of Wyoming to
discover, excavate, prepare and mount a life-size triceratops dinosaur in a small
Wyoming museum in three months. Science topics included extinction, erosion, the
work of paleontologists and earth history. Purchased in 2003, the episode was
broadcast on Wyoming Public Television.
The second episode, “Mississippi River Trip,” chronicled a five-month journey down the
Mississippi River on a raft made from recycled materials. Science topics include natural
resource conservation, water quality, geography and the Mississippi River watershed.
2000 Teaching Assistant. Center to Advance Science Education of the University of
Southern California. Los Angeles, CA. Assistant instructor in a course titled, “Foundations in
Informal Science Education.” Duties included the design of the course, assisting in instruction
and evaluation of students.
1997-99 Consultant and Educator. The Los Angeles Zoo. Los Angeles, CA. I co-created
the “Zoomobile,” a live-animal outreach program, which traveled to schools throughout Los
Angeles County. Other consulting services to the zoo included curriculum development for the
“Gorilla Conservation Program.”
1998 Summer Instructor. Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Pittsburgh, PA. I taught
both geology and paleontology for middle and high school students in the museum’s summer
science program.
1995-96 Instructor/ Fossil Preparator/ Exhibit Designer. Los Angeles County Museum of
Natural History. Los Angeles, CA. I supervised the Traveling Insect Zoo outreach program,
which brought live arthropods to public and private schools throughout Los Angeles County. In
the Paleontology Department, I prepared fossils, including an Oligocene rhinoceros skeleton. I
also designed and fabricated exhibits for the museum’s Discovery Center.
1993-94 Exhibit Supervisor/ Instructor. Audubon Nature Institute. New Orleans, La. As
the supervisor of a robotic dinosaur exhibit, I designed and fabricated exhibits, wrote
curriculum for educators, supervised staff and volunteers and performed maintenance on the
robots themselves.
1992 Student Teacher. McMain Magnet Secondary School. New Orleans, La. Biology and
Earth Science for 8th grade.
1986-92 Research Assistant. Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory of the University of
New Orleans. New Orleans, La. I investigated the biodiversity and biogeography of Late
Cretaceous vertebrates in North America by assisting and supervising expeditions to Alabama,
Mississippi and Wyoming. In the field, I excavated mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, marine turtles and
dinosaurs. In the laboratory, I prepared fossils and instructed students in proper lab techniques.
I also assisted in the instruction of introductory earth science, geology, vertebrate and
invertebrate paleontology courses.
1985-91 Squad Leader. United States Marine Corps Reserve. During Operation Desert
Shield/Storm, I led a four-man reconnaissance team to gather intelligence in Kuwait.
AWARDS
2012 recipient of Leaders and Legends Award at 2012 Blue Oceans Film Festival
2008 recipient of the Menzie Award. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.
2006 recipient of the H. David Nahai Water Quality Award. State of California Environmental
Protection Agency; Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.
1986 Marine of the Year. HQSVCO 3/23 2nd Marine Division, United States Marine Corps
FILM AND TELEVISION
Mississippi River Quest (2010) Host of a 35 day adventure down the Mississippi River.
National Geographic Channel.
Forecast Earth. (2008) Host of Six 4-minute segments for The Weather Channel cable
television network. Atlanta, Georgia.
Watershed Wonders: Cola Kayak and the Los Angeles River. (2008) Host of a
documentary film rafting the Los Angeles River. Algalita Marine Research Foundation. Long
Beach, California.
Commando Weather. (2007) Host of twenty two 3-minute PSAs for The Weather Channel
cable television network. Atlanta, Georgia.
Watershed Wonders: California Coastal Wetlands and the Journey of Fluke. (2007) Host
of a documentary film investigating environmental quality of coastal wetlands. Algalita Marine
Research Foundation. Long Beach, California.
Watershed Wonders: Bottle Rocket Down the Mississippi River. (2006) Host of a
documentary film rafting the Mississippi River. Algalita Marine Research Foundation. Long
Beach, California.
Mission Science: Dino Dig. (2004) Host of a documentary film excavating and building a
dinosaur skeleton in a museum. Peck Media. Reseda, California.
PUBLICATIONS
Books
Eriksen, M. (2007). My River Home: A Journey from the Gulf War to the Gulf of Mexico.
Beacon Press. Boston, Mass.
Eriksen, M. (2003, May). An Investigation of the Effect of Prior Knowledge and Level of
Immersion on Visitor Perceptions of Threat, Interest and Sense of Immersion in Several Freechoice Learning Environments with Distinct Levels of Immersion. University of Southern
California (Dissertation)
Articles
Eriksen, M. (2012) Plastic pollution in the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Marine Pollution
Bulletin.
Eriksen, M. (2012, October issue) Tracking Tsunami Flotsam: Wind and currents determine
where debris from the Japanese catastrophe has floated. Natural History Magazine, 18-23.
Eriksen, M. (2011, October issue) Reeling in Refuse. Natural History Magazine, endnotes.
Eriksen, M. (2009). Watershed Wonders: The Los Angeles River and the Cola Kayak. Algalita
Marine Research Foundation. Long Beach, CA.
(Eriksen, M. as co-author, 2007) An ecological assessment of bisphenol-A: Evidence from
Comparative biology. ReproductiveToxicology, 24, 225–239.
Eriksen, M. (2007). Study of Plastic Accumulation in the Sediment of Three Southern California
Rivers. Algalita Marine Research Foundation. Long Beach, CA.
Eriksen, M. (2007). Watershed Wonders: California Coastal Wetlands and the Journey of Fluke.
Algalita Marine Research Foundation. Long Beach, CA.
PRESENTATIONS
University of New Orleans (May 22, 2013) Spring Graduation Commencement Speaker.
California Water Environment Association (April 21, 2010) Keynote address. Plastic Marine
Pollution: A Global Threat. Sacramento, California
Ohio Biodiversity Alliance Award Ceremony. (Oct. 2, 2009) Keynote address. Plastic Debris –
Rivers to Sea. Cleveland, Ohio
Sustainable Packaging Coalition. (March 10, 2008) Keynote address. Plastics in the Marine
Environment. San Francisco, California.
California Water Environment Association (Feb. 26, 2007) Plastics in the Marine Environment.
Napa, California
Northeast Sustainable Energy Assn. (March 14, 2007) Plastics in the Marine Environment.
Boston, Mass.
University of Alaska Fairbanks. (April 13, 2007) Plastics in the Marine Environment. Juneau,
Alaska
Juneau World Affairs Council. Plastics in the Marine Environment. (April 16, 2007) Juneau,
Alaska
Alaska State Senate (April 16, 2007) Lecture on behalf of “Senate Bill 118 - Plastic Bag Fee;
Establish Litter Fund”
California State Senate (March 26, 2007) Testify on behalf of Senate Bill 899 on the Toxicity of
Plastic Additives.
Eriksen, M. (2006). Polycarbonate Plastic Sediment in Three Urban Rivers. Presentation to the
National Institute of Health Sciences. Bisphenol-A Conference, Nov 28-29,2006, Raleigh,
North Carolina.
Eriksen, M. (2001, October). Being There: Immersive Naturalistic Exhibits. Poster session
presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Science and Technology Centers, Phoenix,
AZ.
Eriksen, M, McComas, W. F. & Cox-Petersen, A. (1999, September). The Impact of
Experimental Science Learning on Participants’ Understanding of Science and its Nature: A
Preliminary Investigation. International meeting of the History, Philosophy and Science
Teaching Group. Como, Italy.
Eriksen, M. (1999, February). Nature of Science in your Classroom. Greater Los Angeles
Teachers of Science Association (GLATSA) (Los Angeles, CA).
Eriksen, M. (1998, February). Outreach Programming: What Museums and the Zoo can do for
you. Greater Los Angeles Teachers of Science Association (GLATSA) (Los Angeles, CA).