Research fellow: Emma Lederer
Hometown: Millis, MA
Major: Biology
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

Emma Lederer, a rising sophomore and biology major, originally imagined a different direction for herself than where she now seems to be heading:

“For most of my life, I have been set on going to medical school right after getting my undergraduate degree and becoming a doctor, but lately I have found myself gravitating toward research. I’m not sure exactly what topics I’m interested in yet, but as of now my plan is to go to graduate school, hopefully get a Ph.D., and be a scientific researcher.”

Through the Rhode Island NSF EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, Lederer has spent her summer in Woods Hole, MA, at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), looking at single-jet and multiple-jet propulsion systems in marine invertebrates. In particular, she said, she and fellow SURF and Providence College student Jillian O’Melia have been investigating jellyfish, a single-jet model.

Both students are working under the mentorship of PC Professor Jack Costello, marine biology, and Roger Williams University Associate Professor Sean Colin, environmental science.

The pair has been watching high-speed videos of Sarsia and analyzing different aspects of movement, such as which parts of the bell of the Sarsia contract to the highest extent, or if one part of the bell initiates movement, Lederer explained. Much of her role, she said, has been data collection and she hopes to do more field research in the future, collecting the jellyfish and bringing them back to the lab to videotape.

For the 8^th Annual RI SURF Conference July 31 at the University of Rhode Island, Lederer said she would present the multiple-jet model, a type of jelly-like marine invertebrate called a siphonophore.

“These organisms exist in a colony that coordinates movement by contracting different nectophores at different times, depending on what direction or speed they are looking to move with,” she said. “I watched high-speed videos of a type of siphonophore called Nanomia bijuga, and recorded which nectophores were utilized, and for how long they were used.”

Lederer said the Woods Hole experience has been like a dream, providing the opportunity to spend her days working on the project, learning from researchers and enjoying the coastal environment: “Everyone here is so dedicated to their work, and the range of topics of research are so vast. I learn something new and meet someone new every day. I hope to be able to contribute to this program again in the future.”

Story by Amy Dunkle | Photo by Jillian O’Melia