Summer 2012 Interns: Post #6

This is it – our final post in the series introducing the 2012 BIOS Summer Interns!  We’ve met interns from Bermuda, Canada, and the United States that are working with BIOS faculty on projects in nearly every discipline in the ocean sciences.  We’ll be checking back with our interns toward the end of the summer to hear about their experiences and, hopefully, the results of their hard work – so be sure to keep an eye out for new blog posts!

In the meantime, we’d like to introduce you to the following interns:

Deirdre Collins, 16, is a rising senior at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire (US).  Originally from Bermuda, she recently went through the Waterstart program at BIOS with her siblings where she was able to obtain her Open Water diving certification.  Deirdre is working with the BIOS Dive Safety Officer, Ryan Patrylak, and will be obtaining her Advanced Open Water diving certification in the coming weeks.  She chose to do a volunteer internship at BIOS in order to gain experience in biology and marine science for her last year in high school.

Skye Welton, 17, is a rising senior at the Downe House School in Berkshire, England.  Originally from the UK, she did a volunteer internship with the BIOS Education Department last summer and enjoyed the experience so much that she came back to assist with the Waterstart program this summer.  In addition to her love of the water, Skye is interested in the environment and likes to play guitar and tennis.

Michael Johnston, 18, will be starting at Penn State this coming fall in the meteorology program.  As a Bermuda Program intern, he is spending the summer working with Dr. Andrew Peters in the Environmental Quality Program lab researching the meteorological controls on air quality in Bermuda.  Michael sees meteorology as a crucial component to ocean science and chose to intern at BIOS to gain experience putting meteorology to practical use.  His long-term goals include returning to Bermuda with his degree and working for the Bermuda Weather Service in the forecasting department.  When not studying, Michael enjoys learning about natural history and visiting many of Bermuda’s beautiful historic sites.

Maquira “Kira” Brock, 17, is a rising senior at the Friends School of Baltimore in Maryland.  A returning Bermuda Program intern, she is currently working with Tim Noyes in the Coral Reef Ecology and Optics (CREO) Lab and Rachel Parsons in the Microbial Observatory Lab using a molecular approach to study the effects of sewage outfall on fish populations.  Kira interned with the CREO Lab last year, when it was known as the Marine Environmental Program (MEP), and enjoyed the variety of hands-on experiences.  She applied to the program again this summer to further explore the field of marine science as a potential college major and career path.  Kira likes to spend her time playing soccer, reading, and SCUBA diving.

Alex Godfrey, 19, is about to enter his third and final year at Loughborough University in the UK where he is majoring in geography.  Also a Bermuda Program intern, he is working with Dr. Michael Lomas in the Plankton Ecology Lab (PEL) where he is working with a series of data sets to understand the role of phytoplankton diversity in controlling carbon export in the ocean.  Alex wanted to explore the ecological component to his geography degree and felt that an internship at BIOS would give him that experience.  A huge sports fan, Alex is active in cycling and triathlons and enjoys photography as well.

We hope you've enjoyed meeting our 2012 Summer Interns! 

If you are Bermudian and are interested in applying for a Bermuda Program Internship for Summer 2013, contact Kaitlin Baird, BIOS Education Officer at Kaitlin.Baird AT bios.edu. If you are a college student in the US or Canada and are interested in applying for summer internship, contact Chloe Newcomb Hodgetts at Chloe.Nh AT bios.edu.