{"id":21791,"date":"2026-07-09T12:58:24","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T16:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/?p=21791"},"modified":"2026-07-09T12:58:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T16:58:25","slug":"from-rhode-islands-coast-to-the-great-lakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/news\/from-rhode-islands-coast-to-the-great-lakes\/","title":{"rendered":"From Rhode Island’s Coast to the Great Lakes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Just weeks after graduating summa cum laude from the University of Rhode Island with bachelor’s degrees in marine biology <\/a>and aquaculture and fisheries science<\/a>, Nick O’Connor \u201926 is already putting the research skills he developed as a student in URI\u2019s College of the Environment and Life Sciences (CELS) to work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Sea Lamprey Research Technician at Michigan State University, he studies the behavior and chemical communication of invasive sea lampreys, conducting passive integrated transponder tagging, dissections, behavioral observations, and animal care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Native to the Atlantic Ocean, sea lampreys spend much of their lives at sea before migrating into freshwater rivers to spawn. In the Great Lakes, where they are invasive, they attach to fish with their suction-cup mouths and feed on their blood and fluids, with a single lamprey capable of killing up to 40 pounds of fish during its 12- to 18-month feeding period. In recent years, coordinated management has significantly reduced their numbers, and O’Connor’s research contributes to ongoing efforts to better understand\u2014and ultimately control\u2014the species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For O’Connor, the position is the latest step in a journey shaped by hands-on research opportunities, faculty mentorship, and countless days spent in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“URI and CELS allowed me to grow as both an individual and a researcher,” he says. “I met amazing faculty and students, participated in research from the coast of Rhode Island to the high seas of the Atlantic Ocean, and made some of the best friends I have ever had.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning Through Research<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That growth began with the CELS Summer Research Fellowship <\/a>in 2024, when O’Connor partnered with the Audubon Society of Rhode Island to study the use of atypical spawning sites by Atlantic horseshoe crabs. Designing and carrying out his own research project gave him his first opportunity to experience the full scientific process\u2014from reviewing literature to collecting field data and analyzing results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I cultivated skills in critically analyzing scientific papers, developed research methods, and learned important fieldwork skills such as using a quadrat and transect tape,” he says. “Working with horseshoe crabs strengthened my passion for marine science.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fellowship also gave him confidence to pursue new opportunities beyond URI. The following summer, O’Connor was selected for the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) program at Rutgers University’s Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory in Port Norris, New Jersey. During the 10-week program, he helped develop a new survey technique using camera-mounted fish traps to study fish communities around artificial reefs off the Jersey Shore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together, the two research experiences reinforced the value of learning by doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Developing my own research project from start to finish prepared me for graduate school and professional research,” O’Connor says. “Combined with my REU experience, I became a more competitive applicant for graduate programs and careers. These opportunities connected me with mentors and researchers who have supported me throughout the process of finding a graduate advisor, bolstering my professional network, and preparing for my future career.”<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
O’Connor recording the number of mature, immature, and dead female sea lamprey at a maturation site on the lower Ocqueoc River in northern Michigan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Next Chapter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back on his time at URI, O’Connor says the experiences extended far beyond the classroom. Whether conducting research along Rhode Island’s shoreline or offshore in the Atlantic, he found opportunities to challenge himself, build lasting relationships, and discover the kind of scientist he wanted to become. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although his work has taken him from Rhode Island’s coastline to the rivers of northern Michigan, O’Connor says the curiosity that first drew him into marine science\u2014and the hands-on experiences that nurtured it at URI\u2014continue to guide his career. As he begins this next chapter, he’s looking forward to addressing new research challenges and seeing where the work leads.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After graduating from URI in May 2026, marine biology and aquaculture and fisheries science alumnus Nick O’Connor is beginning his research career at Michigan State University, building on hands-on experiences that took him from horseshoe crab-filled beaches to offshore fish habitats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1089,"featured_media":21793,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21791","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=21791"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21798,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21791\/revisions\/21798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/cels\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}