Roger Williams University senior Colby Masse described Narragansett Bay as a ‘sink’ for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). He and SURF colleague Lyndsay Marlowe worked this past summer under Dr. Stephen O’Shea to discover the process by which these chemicals are deposited into the bay’s sediment, and also transformed into other chemical compounds that could prove harmful to the environment.  

“CFCs were used in aerosols and refrigerants and were non-carcinogenic, but scientists started to notice there was a big gaping hole in the ozone, and they were contributing,” explained Masse, a biochemistry major from Williamstown, Mass. “Countries regulate them now, but they can still affect the ozone years after being released. That is why we see them in the ocean sediment.” 

The ozone protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun, and its depletion causes both atmospheric and ocean temperatures to rise, ultimately impacting ecosystems throughout the globe, including Mount Hope Bay, where the students gathered samples. 

Masse and Marlowe tested potential techniques to better understand how CFCs are transformed in sediment and ocean water, and whether their chemical makeup changes for better or worse in the process. 

Beyond the research itself, the SURF students learned to use complex equipment and discovered that scientific inquiry is much a process of trial-and-error. 

“Getting all of the tests to work properly is a challenge,” admitted Marlowe, a junior at Roger Williams studying chemistry who hails from Tewksbury, Mass. “There’s a lot of preparation and, when something is not working, a lot of troubleshooting.” 

“We are looking at CFCs and organisms in anaerobic environments, so it is a struggle to keep our samples unexposed to oxygen,” added Masse. “We try to keep samples in an inert gas like argon, but it is tough when you are doing live tests. They take multiple hours.” 

For O’Shea, the experience is one uniquely available to students in a small laboratory like that housed at RWU. 

 “They are not giving samples to a technician, but doing hands-on experimentation themselves,” the chemistry professor emphasized. “The lab and instruments are robust enough for research, the data collected from which is publishable. Students can set up experiments and follow them all the way through uninterrupted by classes coming in and out.” 

Many SURF projects are single steps in a larger research program, and O’Shea’s work on CFCs is no different. Marlowe and Masse felt a greater sense of accomplishment knowing the research they conduct will be crucial for future SURF students. 

 “Because I am contributing to something a lot bigger definitely makes me excited to see what results come of it long-term,” said Marlowe, who continued her work with O’Shea into the school year. 

“A lot of the time when you go to research presentations, you sit through talks and at the end, you ask, ‘Ok, who cares?’” noted Masse, who is currently applying to become a physician’s assistant. “They don’t know how it contributes to larger science. Here, we do. Figuring out all these different applications for our work, that is why it is rewarding.”