The 2002 Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands is a University of California, Berkeley course offered as Integrative Biology 158 and Environmental Science, Policy, and Management 107. The program aims to transform undergraduate students into professional scientists through the design and implementation of original research projects conducted on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia. The curriculum begins with three and a half weeks of preparatory study in Berkeley focused on science background and logistical planning. This is followed by a nine-week stay at the Richard B. Gump South Pacific Biological Research Station, where students spend an initial week exploring diverse habitats like reefs, streams, and mountains before conducting eight weeks of independent research. The course concludes with students giving oral presentations at an annual symposium and producing written scientific papers for publication in a distributed volume. Since its inception in 1991, the program has been highly successful, with many student projects eventually being published in standard scientific journals. Participants often describe the experience as life-changing because it covers a complete research cycle from planning to reporting results.