Summer Intern Class of 2012: From L: Alex Kellum, Pearce Cooper, Joey Matt, Caitlin Fikes, Lydia Bienlien, Jessica Braunstein, Laura Tait, Margaret Walker, Sean Lusk, Madeline Karp, Sabrina Ramirez, Natalie Ross.
Photo by David Malmquist.
Summer Intern (REU) Class of 2011: From L: Dylan O'Connell, Seth Theuerkauf, Daniel O'Hara, Drew Howard, Julianne Decker, Nicholas Hernandez, Akela Kuwahara, Alexandra Badia,Jessica Sahu Teli, and Emily Wei. Missing from the picture are Heather Richardson and Sara Wilson.
Photo by David Malmquist.
Summer Intern (REU) Class of 2010: Front row: Angelina Haines, Courtney Wickel, Leslie Bland, Zoe Almeida, Elizabeth Gomez, David Fryxell, co-director Rochelle Seitz, and Director Linda Schaffner. Back Row: Nyanza Rothman, Molly Martin, William Bennett, and Robert Isdell.
Photo by Susan Stein.
Summer Intern (REU) Class of 2009: Against the window, back to front: Lance Dixon (Temple Univ., red bandanna), Austin Allen (W&M), Genevieve Ho (Univ. of Michigan), Courtney Wickel (W&M), Hadley McIntosh (College of St. Benedict), and Stacy Aguilera (Stanford Univ.). Middle row, back to front: Alex Brett (College of the Atlantic), Sammy Allen (Presbyterian College), Monica Poteat (Elon Univ.), Sara Walkup (UC Berkeley), Program Director Linda Schaffner, and Caitlin Adams (Swarthmore College). Foreground, back to front: Matthew Schoen (Univ. of Maine), TA Andrew Wozniak, Program Co-Director Rochelle Seitz, and Rebecca Wright (St. Mary’s College of MD).
Summer Intern (REU) Class of 2008: From L: Elizabeth Hamman, Juan Alvarez-Rosario, Sarah Donelan, Natasha Gownaris, Ben Lawson, Julia Moriarty, Jonathan Lefcheck, Samone Brockett, Leandra Darden, Bhae-Jin Peemoeller, Ryan Scott, Jenna Luek, and Caitlin Bovery.
Summer Intern (REU) Class of 2007: Front Row (L to R): VIMS REU Coordinator Dr. Linda Schaffner, Margaret Simon (Haverford College), Dominique Franson (University of Maryland), Queen Akwari (Claflin University), Diana Chin (Boston University), and Payal Dharia (VIMS graduate student). Back Row (L to R): Laura Mulvey (Case Western Reserve University), Hilary Griffin (Elmira College), Cora Johnston (Hampshire College), and Stephanie Henderson (Ottawa University). Not pictured: Carolyn Ewers (California Polytechnic State University).
Summer Intern (REU) Class of 2006: Front row: Barbara Salgado. 2nd row (from L): Talia Fletcher, Paul Littreal (a Mellon Intern), Cara Babineaux, Andria Salas, Katherine Kokotky, and Adrienne Wiggin. 3rd row (from L): Carolina Funkey, Emilee Mroz, Miranda Westphal, David James, Philip Matich, Sara Tappan, and Dan Naly.
Summer Intern (REU) Class of 2005: From L: Heather Nees (Muskingum College), Curtis Freund (St. Cloud State University), Melanie Schultz Peters (University of Miami), Laura Twichell (Swarthmore College), Andrew Kowalczk (Texas A&M University at Galveston), and Cielomar Rodriguez (University of Puerto Rico).
Summer Intern (REU) Class of 2004: Front row, L-R: Program Director Dr. Linda Schaffner, Elda Varela-Acevado (Loyola Marymount), Alexa Ramirez (Duke Univ,), Breanna Korsman (The College of William & Mary), Shirley Morales (Univ. of Puerto Rico-Humacao), Elizabeth Tennant (W&M), and Ed Gorecki (Texas A&M at Corpus Christi). Back row, L-R: Program Co-Director Dr. Rochelle Seitz, Inia Soto (Univ. of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez), Tanieka Motley (Chatham College), Nicole Rohr (Southwest Missouri St. Univ.), Kevin Thompson and Tim Montgomery (W&M), Francisco Soto (Univ. of PR-Humacao), and Corey Bacchus (Morgan State Univ.).
Summer interns complete research at VIMS
| August 9, 2010
Ten college and university students from around the nation completed their summer internships at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science last week, presenting the results of their research projects to an audience of faculty, staff, and students in VIMS' McHugh Auditorium.
The students were part of the "Research Experience for Undergraduates" program at VIMS, now in its 21st year. Directed by professors Linda Schaffner and Rochelle Seitz, the program is funded by the National Science Foundation, VIMS, The College of William and Mary (W&M), private donors, and grants to individual faculty.
During the 10-week program, each student worked with one or more faculty mentors on an in-depth research project, typically gaining experience in both the field and laboratory. The subjects of this year's research projects varied widely, from a study of how by-catch reduction devices affect the commercial crab catch to a field trial that attempted to use robotic subs to monitor oil in water.
REU program director Linda Schaffner says "the REU program is a transformative experience for students." She notes that many REU students continue on to graduate school and successful careers in science. "Even if a student's project doesn't turn out exactly as planned," she says "they still gain valuable experience as to how science really works."
Program co-director Rochelle Seitz notes that "this year's students were particularly enthusiastic. We expect great things from them in the years ahead."
Student projects
L. Zoe Almeida (Scripps College): Responses of tidal freshwater plants to increases in salinity. Mentors: Dr. Jim Perry and Lori Sutter.
Will Bennett (University of Mary Washington): Effects of by-catch reduction devices (BRDs) on the commercial crab catch. Mentors: Dr. Romuald Lipcius, Dr. Rochelle Seitz, and Danielle McCulloch.
Leslie Bland (James Madison University): Studying and comparing Chesapeake Bay 3-D hydrodynamic models. Mentors: Dr. Marjy Friedrichs and Dr. Carl Friedrichs.
David Fryxell (University of Connecticut): The effect of nutrient depletion on biomass accumulation and species composition in a natural algal community. Mentor: Dr. Emmett Duffy.
Elizabeth Gomez (Brown University): Effects of shoreline development and upland usage on multiple trophic levels in Chesapeake Bay. Mentors: Dr. Rochelle Seitz and Theresa Davenport.
Angelina Haines (Randolph College): Effects of current and bioturbation on sediment reduction and oxidation. Mentor: Dr. Robert Diaz.
Robert Isdell (University of North Carolina, Greensboro): A study of habitat type and its effects on juvenile blue crabs. Mentor: Dr. Romuald Lipcius.
Molly Martin (Massachusetts Institute of Technology): Using AUVs to monitor oil in the water column. Mentor: Dr. Mark Patterson.
Nyanza Rothman (Vassar College): Trace metal cycling in an algal floway system. Mentors: Dr. Aaron Beck and Dr. Elizabeth Canuel.
Courtney Wickel (The College of William and Mary): Macrobenthic production and food-web structure in shallow tidal-freshwater habitats, including beds of Hydrilla verticillata. Mentor: Dr. Linda Schaffner.
