Monday, June 23, 2014

2014 BIOS Summer Interns - Post #2

Last week we introduced seven of BIOS's summer interns, giving you some insight into their diverse educational backgrounds and career aspirations, as well as the research projects they'll be working on over the next few weeks or months. Today we're pleased to introduce seven more students that are spending all, or part of, their summer with us at BIOS!

Sara Schroder is a first year Bermuda Program student and a rising freshman at Colgate University (New York) where she plans to major in biology/pre-med. For the next month she'll be working with Tim Noyes in the Coral Reef Ecology and Optics Lab using baited remote underwater video stations (BRUVS) to study the diet of the invasive lionfish in Bermuda. Her long-term career plans are focused on becoming a pediatrician or pediatric surgeon.

Sara in front of the Naess Building at BIOS

Jecar Chapman is a fifth (!!!) year Bermuda Program student, returning to work with Dr. Andrea Bodnar in the Molecular Discovery Lab investigating the use of a sea urchin protein as a biomarker for age. He is currently in his 2nd/3rd year at Dalhousie where he is studying biochemistry and molecular biology. Jecar is a great example of how the technical training and research experiences from a BIOS Bermuda Program internship can be used to further diverse career and academic goals.

Jecar in the Molecular Discovery Lab


Jason Manley is a rising sophomore at Princeton University where he is studying molecular biology with certificates in neuroscience and quantitative & computational biology. As a Princeton Environmental Institute (PEI) intern at BIOS, he is undertaking a twelve-week research internship with Drs. Andrea Bodnar and Helena Reinardy in the Molecular Discovery Lab, investigating mechanisms of nerve and muscle regeneration in sea urchin tube feet. Jason learned about this internship opportunity from Michael Chang, a 2013 Princeton-BIOS intern who also worked in the Molecular Discovery Lab.


Jason in the Molecular Discovery Lab's "wet bench"

Connor Stonesifer is a rising junior at Princeton University where he is majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology with certificates in creative writing and planets & life. Another PEI intern, he is working with Natasha McDonald in the Bermuda Bio-Optics Program studying lignin phenols in microbial and marine organic matter production in the open ocean. Connor learned about the Princeton-BIOS internship program through on-campus advertisements and was excited at the prospect of interning at a facility that focused solely on marine science and oceanography.

Connor in front of the R/V Atlantic Explorer

Rachel Barnes is a rising senior at Bowdion College (Brunswick, ME) where she is double-majoring in economics and earth & oceanographic science. She is also a second-year Bermuda Program intern who is working with Natasha McDonald in the Bermuda Bio-Optics Program on a variety of lab projects using advanced computer coding techniques and biostatistics programs.

Rachel in front of the R/V Atlantic Explorer

Marta Cabral is a rising junior at Princeton in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy and International Affairs. In 2013 she was a Princeton Internship in Civil Service (PICS) intern at BIOS where she worked with the summer Ocean Academy's Waterstart and HSBC Explorer programs developing curricula and assisting with course instruction. This year she received support from Princeton for an independent project at BIOS, working with both the Education and Development Departments to broaden the social impacts of BIOS education programs.

Marta aboard one of BIOS's research vessels

Mackenzie Dooner is a rising sophomore at Princeton University with an undeclared major and a certificate in environmental studies. She is the 2014 PICS intern at BIOS and is working with the Ocean Academy's Waterstart and HSBC Explorer Programs to develop curricula and lead field, laboratory, and classroom programs. Mackenzie was excited about the internship opportunity at BIOS and saw it as a way to build upon her previous experiences with ocean stewardship and education programs, both in the US and abroad.

As you can see, BIOS offers many internship opportunities in both marine science and marine science education. With faculty studying most every aspect of ocean science--from physical oceanography to ocean biogeochemistry to coral--students have little trouble finding mentors and projects that align with their academic coursework and interests. BIOS's active education and outreach programs also provide students with opportunities to learn how science is translated to the public and into meaningful classroom programs around the island. Next month we'll introduce even more of our summer interns and begin to follow up with some we've already introduced to see how their research is shaping up.

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