Research fellow: Anne Filteau
Hometown: Methuen, MA
Major: Biology
School: Providence College
Mentors: Carol Thornber, Lindsay Green
Project: Tracking harmful algal blooms in Narragansett Bay via ecological and aerial technology approaches

Anne Filteau, a rising senior, attends Providence College, but the Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program is giving her the opportunity to conduct research at the University of Rhode Island.

Filteau is working in the lab of Associate Professor Carol Thornber, also RI EPSCoR principal investigator, under the guidance of postdoctoral researcher Lindsay Green, assisting with the collection and identification of Ulva seaweed.

She said there were three points in Warwick where the project takes seaweed samples — Sandy Point, Chepiwanoxet, and Warwick City Park. The process involves setting up a 10 meter transect or measuring tape and establishing quadrats or plots with a square of PVC pipes every other meter.

“I look at what seaweed is there, in the quadrats, and any other organisms,” explained Filteau. “I collect the Ulva blades and take them back to the lab and identify the species.”

Typically, she said, there are three main species of Ulva found in Rhode Island, and she identifies them by looking through a microscope at the cells. After separating the Ulva by species, she examines it to determine if there are epiphytes, plants that live on other plants, to see if they favor any one type of Ulva over another.

Filteau said she also was working to determine whether one species of Ulva was more dominant. By sampling every month, she can investigate any changes and the effects. The key is to gain a greater understanding of the Ocean State seaweed and the role climate change and other factors have on its growth and proliferation.

Although she has done research before, this is Filteau’s first experience with seaweed. Looking ahead to her post graduation plans, she said she was contemplating whether to pursue a master’s degree in wildlife rehabilitation and conservation or a concentration more involved with marine life.

Story and photos by Amy Dunkle