We’re excited here on the URI Narragansett Bay Campus to welcome this year’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships in Oceanography (SURFO) students! The SURFO program is a 10-week research experience designed primarily for science, math and engineering students who will have just completed their junior year of undergraduate coursework. Participating students get hands-on experience with laboratory work, field work, data analysis, instrument development, numerical modeling and even a research cruise – all while working with GSO faculty and graduate student mentors.

Here are the students who will be joining the Bay Campus community for the summer of 2023:

Georgia Ahumada

University of Miami, majoring in Marine Science and Biology with a minor in Chemistry                                 

This summer, I am excited to join Dr. Hongjie Wang’s lab, where I will work with Abby Baskind to quantify ocean acidification estimates in Narragansett Bay. In the future, I plan to continue oceanographic/marine science research in and after graduate school.

Alvin Bett

University of Maryland Baltimore County, majoring in Environmental Science with a minor in Chemistry

I will be working in Dr. Rainer Lohmann’s lab with Jared Snook to conduct research on PFAS filtration system. In the future, I will gain my masters in environmental chemistry and hopefully find sustainable solutions to our pollution crisis.

Ella Crotty

Reed College, Environmental Studies & Biology

I will spend this summer in Dr. Brad Wetherbee’s lab studying shark migration using tagging data. In the future, I hope to get a PhD in marine biology and do fisheries research and conservation work.

Roman Ferraro

University of Southern California, Geological Science major with a minor in Marine Biology

This summer I will be in Dr. Kelton McMahon’s lab, working with Lindsay Agvent to build carbon and nitrogen isotope maps or “isoscapes” of the North Atlantic Ocean. I plan on continuing my research career after SURFO and getting a PhD in geology or marine biology.

Benjamin Ginnett

Utah State University, Electrical Engineering

This summer I will be working with on Unmanned Surface Vehicles and AUVs with Dr. Mingxi Zhou and Lin Zhou. After I graduate I hope to use my education to work on BCIs and other neural interface devices.

Julian Lin

University of Wisconsin – Madison, Biological Systems Engineering

This summer, I will be in Dr. Jaime Palter’s lab, working with Sarah Nickford to analyze data from various watercraft and remote sensing sources to build a better understanding of ocean circulation. I am still uncertain what I want to do after college, though I am looking to study in an environmental science related field in graduate school.

Miguel Moreno Lopez

University Ana G. Mendez, Puerto Rico, Gurabo Campus, Mechanical Engineering

This summer I am working with Lingchao He in Dr. Matt Wei’s lab. My goal for the upcoming summer as a participant in the SURFO program is to enhance my knowledge in various physics domains by examining the patterns exhibited by seismic events. This research opportunity will provide me with practical experience in analyzing seismic data and contribute to the advancement of our understanding of the Earth’s dynamics.

Alex Provasnik

Bates College, double majoring in Chemistry & Studio Art                   

This summer, I am excited to be working on a research project to better understand the sampling tools used to detect PFAS in the atmosphere with Dr. Rainer Lohmann and Melissa Woodward.

Jake Rademacher

Boston University, Mechanical Engineering

I’m very excited to be working on an engineering project in Dr. Chris Roman’s lab with Jake Bonney and Charlotte DeBossu. I am considering graduate studies in ocean or aerospace engineering.

Olivia Rebernik

Rutgers University, majoring in Marine Geology with a minor in Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources

This summer, I will be looking at the influence of oyster shells on ocean acidification in Narragansett Bay with Dr. Hongjie Wang and Fiona Teevan-Kamhawi. In the future, I plan on pursuing a PhD and hope to continue doing research.

Rachel Stumpf

St. Olaf College, Mathematics and Kinesiology

I will be working with Dr. Prochaska and Dr. Cornillon on the application of a machine learning algorithm to understand the accuracy of combining satellite imaging data of ocean surface temperature on small-scale areas.