Shine Ling is an undergraduate in the College of Creative Studies. He received a CCS Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in 2000 to continue work he had started with biological oceanographer Alice Alldredge. Alldredge studies microscopic TEP, Transparent Exopolymer Particles, created by diatoms and bacteria. Ocean turbulence brings 1 to 2 molecule chains of polysaccharides together to form 2 to 100 micron long gel particles. Shine is looking to find out if copepods eat these particles, or if their swimming increases the chance for chains to come together to form even larger particles.

Shine always enjoyed research since he was a kid. His high school teachers encouraged inquiry based learning. He found in CCS a continuation of this approach and because a faculty member encouraged him to study marine science at UCSB. He also came to UCSB because of the logistical ease of moving between classes and marine research labs located on the campus.