Internships and Research Opportunities
Learning about the scientific process, how science is done, through hands-on experience is an integral component of courses in the Department of Marine Sciences. All programs stress the importance of field opportunities, research experience and experiential learning. Moreover, the Honors Program engages advanced students in high quality, independent research under the supervision of a faculty mentor.
The marine-based programs benefit from the University’s new Marine Science Education and Research Center, in addition to the University’s ideal coastal setting with the ocean, estuary, freshwater marshes, ponds, major river drainage basins and large lakes just minutes from campus.
Recent Examples of Internships and Student Research
The following are examples of some recent internships that students in the Department of Biological Sciences have completed. Some of these examples are accompanied by more complete profiles of the students and their experiences as biological sciences students at UNE.
Krysten Belanger '11, a marine biology major, did an internship at Mystic Aquarium as its California sea lion husbandry intern.
Kate Rose DiVito '11, a marine biology major, conducted research with two professors, Steven Travis and Greg Zogg. They looked at how the effect of sea level rise due to climate change will affect the marsh.
Amanda Colton '09, a marine biology major, had an internship with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lower Great Lakes Regional Office where she helped with surveys on the Great Lakes and Erie Canal and also conducted a stomach analysis looking for an invasive shrimp.
Crystal Faulkner '08, a marine biology major, participated in a 12-day research cruise in the Gulf of Maine as an intern with Bigelow Laboratory Senior Research Scientist Cindy Pilskaln.Cruise activities include water sampling, sediment coring, bottom mapping, and collection of data on the temperature, salinity, and suspended sediment concentrations at 100 stations throughout the Gulf and into the Bay of Fundy. Four Canadian scientists from the University of New Brunswick and Dalhousie University are also participating along with five colleagues from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The focus of the research project is the delivery, deposition, and resuspension in the Gulf of Maine of the dormant cysts of the dinoflagellete Alexandrium spp., known to be the cause of harmful algal blooms resulting in paralytic shellfish poisoning.
Kerra Gearinger '08, a marine biology major, and Stacey M. Keith '07, an aquarium and aquaculture major, spent seven weeks on a National Science Foundation-funded research cruise to the Antarctic Oct. 21 - Dec. 16, 2005. Profiles and blog.
Ashley Below '05, a marine biology student, spent 24 days aboard a NSF research vessel on an expedition to the Antarctic to study the effects of increased ultraviolet light on the chemical composition of the principal species of Antarctic phytoplankton.
Susan Polans ’05, a dual marine biology/aquaculture major, is fascinated with fisheries. Using the internship as a kick-off to her graduate thesis research, Sue interned with the Saco River Salmon Club, which is conveniently located within walking distance of the University. As an intern, Sue assisted with all aspects of salmon hatchery fry operations, including daily fry maintenance and technical operations. Sue worked on the preparation of the club's operation's manual.
Krissy Forman '04, a marine biology and environmental sciences double major, compared and analyzed data on deep ocean marine fauna from videotapes filmed by submersible remote-operated vehicles in two columns of water from off the coast of Japan. Later in the year, she compared and analyzed the data to draw some conclusions about the two ocean environments. The research comprised her senior honors thesis. These new technologies, such as submersibles and remote-operated vehicles, are opening up deep-ocean research, allowing scientists to study intact specimens of fauna in their natural environments at great depth.
Rachel Ringuette ’02, a marine biology major, interned with Connecticut's Mystic Aquarium. As an intern involved with the Aquarium’s Alaska Coast Exhibit, an outdoor whale tank, Rachel assisted the senior aquarist of cetaceans. Her duties included feeding Beluga whales, pool maintenance, exhibit maintenance and, to her delight, whale behavioral training. Additionally, Rachel worked on an academic project with Beluga whale reproduction, observing and collecting data and samples.
Sean Smith ’02, a dual marine biology/environmental science major, interned withthe Darling MarineCenter, a marine science laboratory in Maine.Sean worked as a research assistant,and assisted with a broad scale study of the American lobster, an organism that is not well documented, but that is integral to economies of working waterfront communities and tourism.
Tamieka Armstrong ’01, a marine biology major, worked as an intern with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland. Tamieka worked under the supervision of a plant ecologist, and her duties included: learning about trophic interactions in protozoa that focus on predator/prey parasitic relationships, collecting and experimenting with the manipulation of plankton, handling and processing protozoa, learning and using a variety of microscopic techniques, and enjoying the exploration of the greater Maryland area.
Internship/Research Opportunities
Depending on a student's preference for geographic location, housing, and work availability, it is common for students to seek out or design their own internship. Some students choose to work right at the university or in nearby established sites. A few students have had ocean research and international travel experiences with UNE faculty. Student researchers present their work at a college wide research symposium each spring semester.
Here are some internship opportunities:
New England Aquarium UNE's Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Center
Mystic Aquarium Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge
Animal Refuge League Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
local veterinary hospitals Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
