2020 Ocean Academy Summer Interns Part 2

Internships for college-aged students were among the educational experiences that were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. When the BIOS facility was able to safely re-open in accordance with Bermuda government guidelines, the BIOS Education Department made the decision to increase the number of summer internship placements. By combining the popular Bermuda Program and Marine Science Internship, we allowed 21 Ocean Academy interns to participate in lab and field-based experiences at BIOS for 2-8 week placements.

Photo credit: Imogen Peckett.

Welcome back! In this post we're introducing you to the second half of our 2020 Ocean Academy interns, their mentors, and research projects.

Luke Young

Photo credit: Imogen Peckett.

19, rising second year undergraduate in oceanography at the University of Southampton (England).

First year Ocean Academy Intern

Mentor: Eric Hochberg, a reef ecologist whose research centers on the interaction between light and the function of tropical and subtropical shallow water ecosystems.

Project: Collecting Sargassum (a marine macro-algae) from offshore sources and using an optical spectrometer to take light readings of mixtures of Sargassum and plastic pollutants to determine the efficacy of spectroscopy at identifying the amounts of microplastics in Sargassum. 

“I feel this internship not only gives me work experience, which puts me ahead of other students, but also first-hand experience of what it will be to work in this field.”

An Mei Daniels

Photo credit: Ali Hochberg.

15, rising senior at Warwick Academy (Bermuda)

First Year Ocean Academy Intern

Mentor: Rachel Parsons, a microbial oceanographer who investigates how microbial communities adapt to changing oxygen levels.

Project: Looking at the effect of microplastics on the microbiome (associated microbial community) of Sargassum species to understand the impacts of ocean pollution.

“I wanted to experience what it’s like working as a researcher in a laboratory and help the researchers with their tasks. I also wanted to explore various aspects of the science world before I go to university to help me narrow down my interests. This is my first foray into microbiology.”

Emma O'Donnell

Photo credit: Imogen Peckett. 

21, rising senior in ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University (U.S.A.)

2015 Marine Science Internship participant, 2017 Bermuda Program Intern, 2018 Princeton-BIOS Intern

Mentor: Tim Noyes, a research specialist focusing on coral reef fisheries and fish populations.

Project: Collecting environmental DNA (eDNA) and using it to derive data on fish biodiversity.

“I will be using the data collected this summer for my senior thesis, which I am doing in partnership with the BIOS Ocean Academy. I’ve had good experiences with BIOS before and was excited to come back.”

Lakshmi Magon

Photo credit: Imogen Peckett.

24, recent graduate in global journalism post-graduate certification from the University of Toronto (Canada)

2018 Bermuda Program Intern

Mentors: Rachel Parsons, a microbial oceanographer who investigates how microbial communities adapt to changing oxygen levels, and Ali Hochberg, science writer, webmaster, social media manager and research technician.

Project: For the Microbial Ecology Laboratory, examining the recurring seasonal patterns of bacterioplankton distribution due to temperature driven stratification in Devil’s Hole, Bermuda. For the Development Office, reinstating the BIOS research blog, contributing to various science communication projects, and assisting with the development of content for research pages on the BIOS website.

"The opportunity to come back to BIOS, and continue to contribute to research with the Microbial Ecology laboratory whilst also building skills and experience in the science writing, communications, and development environment I hope to make my career in, is invaluable to me. There's no place I'd rather intern!"

Caroline Alexander

Photo credit: Imogen Peckett.

20, rising third year bachelor's student in geography at the University of Bristol (England). 

First Year Ocean Academy Intern

Mentor: Shane Antonition, a former Bermuda Program intern who completed his master’s dissertation on microplastics and Kaitlin Noyes, director of education and community engagement at BIOS.  Project: Observing the microplastics on Bermuda’s beaches to inform her third year dissertation which she hopes to undertake in Bermuda.

“I’m doing the internship this year as I wanted to gain more experience doing lab and fieldwork. The BIOS internship is a very exciting opportunity for me to do both of these things at once."

KyAsia Scott-Fishenden

Photo credit: Kaitlin Noyes

25, rising third year bachelor's student in environmental geoscience at Cardiff University (U.K.).

First Year Ocean Academy Intern

Mentor: Tarik Smith, a water engineering specialist with Koom Consulting.

Project: Performing a tank sediment study to understand how amounts of tank sediments can affect water harvesting and water catchment systems.

"I am doing this internship because I believe it is an incredible opportunity to make the connection between university and the working world. It will also allow me to develop professionally and increase my knowledge in the field of environmental science. I am excited to have the chance to work alongside such incredible researchers."

Charlotte Peckett

Photo credit: Imogen Peckett.

17, rising year 13 at Oundle School (England)

First Year Ocean Academy Intern

Mentor: Shane Antonition, a former Bermuda Program intern who completed his master’s dissertation on microplastics and Kaitlin Noyes, director of education and community engagement at BIOS.

Project: Observing the sizes and amounts of microplastics on Bermuda's coastlines to determine the best plan for microplastic reduction.

“I am participating in the this internship because I am considering pursuing biomedical sciences in university. I am also interested in Bermuda’s environment and how plastics affect the island’s ecosystems. I wanted to gain experience by working in the field and labs with professionals and collecting and analyzing data.”

Shannon Mello

Photo credit: Kaitlin Noyes.

16, rising senior at Saltus Grammar School (Bermuda)

First Year Ocean Academy Intern

Mentor: Yvonne Sawall, a marine benthic ecologist whose research focuses on coral reefs and seagrass meadows.

Project: Examining the levels of chlorophyll a [a chemical in the chloroplasts of coral that allows them to absorb and use light], biomass, and levels of zooxanthellae [a symbiotic algae that provide coral with the products of photosynthesis] in mustard hill coral (Porites astreoides) and great star coral (Montastrea cavernosa).

"My summer plans fell through [due to the COVID-19 pandemic] and I thought the BIOS internship sounded really interesting. I'm focused on going into a scientific field and, after experiencing the BIOS facilities as part of a school field trip, I wanted to give the internship a try."

Imogen Peckett

Photo credit: Imogen Peckett.

19, rising first year student in environmental geography at Cardiff University (Wales).

First Year Ocean Academy Intern

Mentor: Tiffany Wardman, media relations and marketing specialist at BIOS and art director at Crown Communications.

Project: Taking photographs of the 2020 Ocean Academy interns for the BIOS research blog, social media, and donor reports.

"I was interested in learning about different projects and visiting interns in the field."

William Welch

Photo credit: Imogen Peckett.

18, rising first year student in mechanical engineering at the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada)

First year Ocean Academy Intern

Mentors: Shane Antonition, a former Bermuda Program intern who completed his master’s dissertation on microplastics and Kaitlin Noyes, director of education and community engagement at BIOS.

Project: Observing the sizes and amounts of microplastics on Bermuda's coastlines to determine the best plan for microplastic reduction, and supporting BIOS in the beta testing of low-cost microscope photography for the creation of a digital plankton library called Planktos. The Planktos database will house a digital photographic ID library of plankton from Ferry Reach, Bermuda measuring larger than 153 micrometers (0.015cm). This work is supported by NSF Award 2023621.

"Last year I worked with Alex Hunter [former dive safety officer and small boats manager at BIOS] on dive boats. This year I wanted to do something science-based, as I'll be attending university to pursue an engineering degree. I'm enjoying learning about microplastics, phytoplankton, and the ocean, and I'm sure I'll come out with a lot more knowledge and experience in the scientific field."

Alex Quinn-Sirera

Photo credit: Imogen Peckett.

18, rising first year student in bioveterinary science at the Royal Veterinary College (England)

2019 Bermuda Program Intern

Mentor: Kaitlin Noyes, director of education and community engagement at BIOS.

Project: Observing the microplastics on Bermuda’s beaches to determine ideal measures for reduction. Surveying the seagrass in Richardson's Bay [a cove situated on the east side of Bermuda] and completing a literature review regarding the carbon sequestration [long-term storage of carbon] capacity of red and black mangroves.

"I am doing this internship because I want to gain more lab and report-writing experience to prepare myself for university, as my degree is research-based."

Thank you for reading about our 2020 Ocean Academy interns. We invite you to stay tuned throughout the coming weeks as we present individual interviews with each intern, which will give them the opportunity to share more information about their research projects and experiences at BIOS.