UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 39, Page 5
August 20, 1992
Future marine scientists gain experience as interns

     This summer, the Graduate College of Marine Studies (CMS) hosted
10 undergraduates from around the country in a special internship
program.
     The interns, primarily college juniors and seniors, worked with
faculty, under whose guidance they conducted individual research
projects.
     The program, now in its eighth year, introduces talented
undergraduates from a variety of academic backgrounds to the marine
sciences, according to its director, Johnathan H. Sharp.
     "Ocean scientists generally apply their knowledge of a particular
discipline such as physics, biology, or engineering to work in the
marine environment," Sharp, who is an oceanography professor,
says."This program is often the first chance students in these
disciplines have to interact with marine scientists, study an aspect
of the ocean in depth, and conduct original research."
     About 40 percent of the interns decide to continue their marine
studies, he said, noting that  "even if the interns don't enroll at
CMS, we often see them at professional meetings and conferences."
     One former intern who did choose CMS is oceanography master's
student Renee Raborg. In 1990, she studied the digestive efficiency of
an acorn worm with Douglas Miller, an assistant professor. "My
internship definitely had a big influence on my decision to come to
graduate school here," she says. "It helped me understand what doing
research was like. I'm now working with the same professor as I did
when I was an intern, so I knew what kind of work I'd be doing here
and that I would enjoy it."
     The program is supported by a grant from the National Science
Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program.
     The following students participated:

     * Julie Desmond, a biology and maritime studies major at Mount
       Holyoke College,  worked with her adviser, Timothy Targett, to
       determine whether sediment type, particularly sand or mud,
       affects growth rates of summer flounder.
     * Craig Epifanio, a physics major at Williams College, used a
       mathematical model to investigate the factors influencing the
       survival of fish larvae, and his adviser was Richard Garvine.
     * A biology major at Illinois Wesleyan University, Maureen
       Koneval studied the distribution of decapods (crabs and shrimp)
       in relation to the types of algae present in Rehoboth and
       Indian River bays, with adviser Kent Price.
     * Heather Lane, a chemistry major at Harvey Mudd College, studied
       the chemistry of zinc in seawater, its formation of organic
       complexes and availability to aquatic organisms, with her
       adviser George Luther.
     * Nancy Linford a biology major at Harvey Mudd College, examined
       the activity of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase with adviser John
       Boyer.
     * A geology major at the College of William and Mary, Shannon
       Lynn worked with adviser David Krantz, using seismic
       information, on subsurface features of the middle continental
       shelf to determine the ancient geography of the Delaware
       coastal region.
     * Sarah Meyer, a chemistry and biology major at Boston
       University, investigated whether the marsh grass Spartina
       alterniflora can be useful to scientists as a collector and
       monitor of trace metals deposited in a marsh from the
       atmosphere, with adviser Thomas Church.
     * Kristina Russell, a chemistry major at Delaware with adviser
       Jonathan Sharp, measured the amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus
       that rainwater contributes to seawater.
     * A biology major at Yale University, Arah Schuur worked with
       adviser Nancy Targett to identify and isolate a chemical
       produced by a marine worm that apparently acts as an appetite
       suppressant in weakfish larvae that feed on it.
     * Bradley Wealand, a civil engineering major at Bucknell
       University,worked with adviser William Ullman to develop a
       descriptive mathematical model of nutrient production and
       consumption in Indian River Bay from Millsboro to the bay's
       inlet.