Summer 2012 Interns: Post #1

Every summer BIOS opens its door to dozens of interns looking to gain practical experience in the marine sciences.  These interns are undergraduate and graduate students—primarily from the US, UK and Canada—seeking to enhance their classroom learning with hands-on research process skills.  Each intern works closely with a BIOS faculty member on a research project that aligns with their academic interests.  This summer, BIOS welcomes the following interns:

Samantha Hamilton, 24, is a Master’s student in the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University.  She’s doing her summer internship in the Coral Reef Ecology and Optics Lab working with Dr. Eric Hochberg on coral bio-optics.  This is actually Samantha’s second time visiting BIOS—she was here in 2008 as a student in the Coral Reef Ecology class and fell in love with both BIOS and Bermuda.  In addition to her studies, she is a SCUBA instructor and enjoys snowboarding in the winter season.

Colita Dunlop, 19, is a 2^nd year student in the Environmental Science program at Bermuda College.  She is a Bermudian and volunteers every week at BIOS in the Coral Reef Ecology and Optics Lab.  This summer she’s doing her internship as part of the Bermuda Program with Dr. Samantha de Putron studying coral reproduction and recruitment.  When not in school, Colita enjoys honing her photography skills on the beautiful landscapes of Bermuda.

Celine Collis, 19, is a Bermudian currently attending the University of Toronto.  She is a 1^st year student in pre-law, biodiversity, and ecological science.  She chose to do a Bermuda Program internship at BIOS because, she says, “BIOS has always had a big presence in Bermuda and this seemed like a worthwhile opportunity to learn more about my backyard.”  Celine will be working with Dr. Eric Hochberg in the Coral Reef Ecology and Optics Lab on developing a productivity budget for reefs on the Bermuda platform.  In addition to her academic interests, she enjoys SCUBA diving and dancing.

Jorge Sanchez, 21, is an undergraduate student in biology at Dalhousie University.  Born in Ecuador, he moved to Bermuda when he was six months old and has lived here since.  This summer, also as part of the Bermuda Program, he will be working with Tim Noyes in the Coral Reef Ecology and Optics Lab conducting video surveys of Bermuda’s fishes.  In addition to his interest in marine science, Jorge likes to SCUBA dive and play football.

The Bermuda Program is designed to broaden Bermudian students' knowledge of marine and atmospheric sciences and to acquaint participants with the daily operations of a research station.  Successful applicants are placed with a faculty mentor for an 8-week internship that focuses on an area of active research at BIOS.  For more information about the Bermuda Program, including application forms and submission deadlines, please visit http://www.bios.edu/education/ocean_academy/bda_program.html