Mentor: Kristofer Gomes (University of Rhode Island)

Project Location

University of Rhode Island-Bay Campus

Project Description

Narragansett Bay represents an important ecological and economic resource within Rhode Island and has been the subject of increased monitoring efforts, including as part of the Rhode Island Coastal Ecology Assessment Innovation and Modeling (RI C-AIM) project. This project focuses on the deployment and maintenance of a suite of sensors deployed within the Narragansett Bay observatory and the analysis of physical, chemical, and biological data they generate to provide insight into how environmental conditions in the Bay drive phytoplankton bloom formation. The data generated from these buoy platforms will provide high temporal resolution, multiparameter datasets in real-time for modelling efforts and monitoring of Bay conditions. In addition, remote sampling platforms will allow for collection of both whole water and filtered samples allowing for analysis of changes of phytoplankton gene expression to better understand how these changes correlate to environmental conditions measured within the Bay.

This SURF project will involve field work including time spent offshore on a small boat in Narragansett Bay and opportunities for research diving to aid in the maintenance of buoy platforms and sensor suites. Onshore work will include the cleaning of sensors and testing of their performance, and the analysis of data generated from these platforms. In addition, laboratory work includes the potential for extraction of DNA and RNA from remotely collected filtered samples to help understand phytoplankton community composition and their gene expression in relation to changes in environmental conditions within the Bay.

Responsibilities will include: Testing and maintenance of sensors, assisting in deployment of sensors on buoy platforms in the Bay, DNA and RNA extractions, analysis of phytoplankton community composition and gene expression, sensor data management and analysis.

This project involves:

• field work
• lab work
• computational work

Available for SURF Flex?

No

Required/preferred skills

Required qualifications: Familiarity with basic data analysis skills (e.g. electronic data recording, graphing data).

Preferred qualifications: Basic microbiology and aseptic laboratory technique experience, some familiarity with R or other coding languages.
Required certifications for research diving: AAUS research diving certified, or Open Water certified (any agency) and ability to participate in a 2-week AAUS research diving class at the end of May.

No prior field experience required, but students should be aware that buoy and sensor maintenance will occur while on a small boat offshore in Narragansett Bay.

Transportation needs

This project includes work that will be performed across both URI’s Kingston and Bay campuses, as well as off campus field sites and some days may require the student to provide their own transportation to these locations.

2022