Luke decided to do his undergraduate work at UCSB because of the location, the surf and the Regents’ Scholarship he received for his freshman year. He graduated at end of Spring quarter 2000 in Aquatic Biology. At commencement, he received the 1999-2000 Audrey Lynn Copeland Memorial Fund award; one of two awards given each year by Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology for outstanding undergraduate achievements.

During most of Luke’s undergraduate years, he worked in the marine ecology lab of Steven Gaines. During this time in Steve’s lab, he developed his own research project which looked at the feeding preferences of the intertidal whelk, Nucella emarginata found along California coast, and commonly in Northern California.

This predator rasps its way through the shell of the mussels Mytilus californianus and M. galloprocincialis. Using hydroacoustic techniques, Luke found that Nucella spends less time drilling through the thinner shell of M. galloprocincialis than that of M. californianus. Luke suggests that predation by Nucella may explain why M. galloprocincialis is not commonly found in northern California.

By working in the Gaines lab, Luke learned about fieldwork and experimental setup, and how to identify many intertidal species. The fact that the Marine Science Institute and associated laboratories are located on the main UCSB campus greatly benefited Luke. He was able to have manageable class schedules because he could easily go back and forth between class lectures and the Gaines lab. Luke has applied to numerous university graduate programs in marine ecology.