Mentor: Coleen Suckling (University of Rhode Island)

Project Location

University of Rhode Island – Kingston

Project Description

Warming temperatures strongly influence global marine communities by creating winners and losers, and this can compromise the way in which we produce seafood in the near future. This fellowship will work towards understanding how commercially and ecologically important marine species respond to near future climate change and help identify tools that could be used towards making seafood resilient. In this project the Fellow will assist with running research aquaria which are simulating near future climate change conditions. This will include essential maintenance work such as monitoring animal health and survival, husbandry care, monitoring food intake and assisting in physiological work such as metabolic rate. The Fellow will also monitor and record seawater parameters, and along with other experimental data, will add this routinely to a shared database, thus building on data sharing and storage skills. The fellow will also gain experience in experimental design and set up as well as assisting in running pilot trials to help prepare for experimental work – all are essential skills for those considering a future with some aspect of research and/or aquaculture industrial technology development. This project presents an excellent opportunity for students to work towards understanding how climate change can impact important marine organisms within Narragansett Bay and New England, therefore, building on our knowledge of how anthropogenic pressures may impact these ecosystems and the seafood we depend upon.

Occasional weekend may be required to conduct quick basic routine checks on the animals and seawater systems, and this will be scheduled in agreement with the research team across the project time. The fellow would also be expected to assist as needed on other projects such microplastics aquarium and/or field sampling.

This is an exciting opportunity to gain hands on experience on topics important to RI C-AIM, using C-AIM facilities, to become familiarized with complex research issues and research tools. The student will work within the RI C-AIM’s project community and their active projects which fall into several of their foci which include: i) Assessing biological and ecosystem impacts; ii) predicting ecosystem response through integration, and iii) visualization and imaging.

This project involves:

• field work
• lab work
• computational work

Available for SURF Flex?

Yes

Required/preferred skills

Reliable, enthusiastic, driven, problem solving students are strongly encouraged to apply with time management skills. Depending on the student interests and the project needs, students will need to be flexible and adaptable to whichever priorities need to be met (e.g. aquarium work or laboratory tasks).

Any skills of microscope photography, image processing/analysis, aquarium and/or husbandry skills would be highly beneficial. Training will be provided where required to expand and exercise skill sets.

Transportation needs

Must have own motorized vehicle to access the aquarium on Bay campus and potentially field sites for sampling.

2022