“I think that the best part about this program is how it opens your eyes to what research is really like. It is one thing to work in a lab after classes for a few hours, but something completely different to spend your whole day there and to have your research as your main focus.”

Research fellow: Jillian O’Melia
Hometown: Bourne, MA
Majors: Biology and Health Policy Management
School: Providence College
Mentors: Jack Costello (PC) & Sean Colin (RWU)
Project: Population growth of the ctneophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in relation to temperature and prey availability.

Jillian O’Melia grew up visiting Woods Hole, first the science aquarium as a toddler, with her mother, and then as a high school student on Marine Biological Laboratory field trips.

“Every since I was little, I wanted to work here at some point and the SURF program has given me that opportunity,” said O’Melia, a rising junior, who was raised in the next town over. “I love being a part of the community that I previously just admired on my occasional visits.”

As a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow with Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR, O’Melia wrapped up her research on insects that she began in the spring semester, analyzing different insects to see what each of their wings did as they turned during flight. Upon completion, she transitioned to jellyfish, specifically Sarsia, determining velocity by calculating the volume of the jellyfish at different points during its contraction.

Conducting the research at Woods Hole through the SURF progam has been an amazing experience, O’Melia said, exposing her to new research taking place at other institutions throughout the Ocean State. She is working under the guidance of PC Professor Jack Costello, marine biology, and Roger Williams University Associate Professor Sean Colin, environmental science.

“I think that the best part about this program is how it opens your eyes to what research is really like,” O’Melia said. “It is one thing to work in a lab after classes for a few hours, but something completely different to spend your whole day there and to have your research as your main focus.

“For anybody considering a career in any area of science, being able to receive this opportunity is incredibly valuable and should be embraced.”

O’Melia will be among the estimated 130 undergraduates presenting their summer research findings at the 8th Annual RI SURF Conference, held at University of Rhode Island, on Friday, July 31, 2015. She plans to graduate in May 2017 and head onto school in the health profession field.

Story by Amy Dunkle | Photo by Emma Lederer