As part of a CELS Summer Research Fellowship, Ashley Sauer studied how blue crab predator cues affect the feeding behavior of juvenile Eastern oysters.

As a CELS Summer Research Fellow in Dr. Jonathan Purtiz’s lab, Tiahnna Dalpezzo investigated how different algae diets affect nutrient uptake and growth in juvenile Eastern oysters. Her work was part of a larger research effort examining how coastal stressors such as ocean acidification and low oxygen affect marine populations.

Faye Santaniello, a marine biology and wildlife and conservation biology double major, used computational tools to investigate where horseshoe crabs fit on the evolutionary tree of arachnids.

As spotted lanternfly threatens forests, farms, and vineyards across the Northeast, plant sciences major Alyssa Clark is helping URI researchers investigate whether some of the region’s own native insects could become part of the solution.

A rising junior majoring in marine biology with a minor in wildlife and conservation biology, Makenzie Denzler is analyzing camera-trap data to learn more about Rhode Island’s flying squirrel population.