CELS Summer Research Fellowship<\/a> with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, examining the use of atypical spawning sites by Atlantic horseshoe crabs. The experience, he says, helped him build valuable research and field skills\u2014and deepened his passion for marine life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI cultivated skills in critically analysing scientific papers, developed research methods, and learned important fieldwork skills such as using a quadrant and transect tape,\u201d he says of the fellowship. \u201cAnd working with horseshoe crabs strengthened my passion for marine science.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
O\u2019Connor continued expanding his practical experience in 2025 through the National Science Foundation\u2019s Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. He spent ten weeks at Rutgers University\u2019s Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory in Port Norris, New Jersey\u2014a center dedicated to research, education, and sustainable fisheries. There, he used camera-mounted fish traps to study fish distributions around artificial reefs off the Jersey Shore and contributed to the development of a new survey technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
O\u2019Connor says the CELS Summer Research Fellowship gave him a strong foundation for his future career as a scientist. Developing his own research project from start to finish, he explains, equipped him with the skills and confidence to succeed in graduate school and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlong with the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates experience in my back pocket, I\u2019ve become a more competitive applicant for graduate programs and professional careers alike,\u201d he adds. \u201cThese experiences have connected me with a wide range of resources and individuals who have supported me throughout the process of finding a graduate advisor, joining a lab, and succeeding in my future career.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From studying Atlantic horseshoe crabs to researching fish habitats off the Jersey Shore, Nick O\u2019Connor’s hands-on experiences have given him a strong foundation for a future in marine research. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1089,"featured_media":21104,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fellowships"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21098","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1089"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21098"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21098\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21169,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21098\/revisions\/21169"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21098"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21098"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21098"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}