“The SURF experience is a great opportunity and the project helps out the environment, which is important to me. The work we’re doing has such wide-ranging applications.”

Research fellow: Connor Sweet
Hometown: Gales Ferry, CT
School: Roger Williams University
Majors: Biology, Chemistry
Mentor: Clifford Murphy
Project: Metallporphyrin-based chemosensors for the marine aqueous detection of thiocyanate ions by electrochemistry and spectrophotometry

Connor Sweet anticipates a lot of soul searching before he figures out exactly in which direction he wants to head, but the RI EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) experience is reinforcing where his passion lies.

“I, for sure, love research,” says the rising senior, who initially arrived at RWU as a business major. “I just don’t know if I want to go into industry. Graduate school is a definite possibility.”

Among its key intentions, the SURF program aims to give undergraduate students hands-on research experience that develops and enhances skills while exposing them to the different educational and career paths available in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Last summer, Sweet worked on a NASA grant and had the chance to observe the SURF program through the Murphy lab experience of 2015 fellow Amanda McCabe. Sweet’s work this summer builds on last year’s efforts to develop the chemical methods of testing in the field whether cyanide fishing has occurred.

The illegal method of catching reef fish involves using cyanide to stun or knock out the fish in order to catch them. The practice also delivers a devastating environmental impact to the surrounding ecosystem.

“The SURF experience is a great opportunity and the project helps out the environment, which is important to me,” Sweet says. “The work we’re doing has such wide-ranging applications.”

For example, the ability to detect thiocyanate in seawater easily in the field could allow researchers to detect possible leeching of compounds from antifouling paints and coatings. Leeching of thiocyanate, a metabolite of cyanide that makes it easier for the fish to excrete the toxin from their body, is expected to be more prevalent in warmer waters, so climate change could be a factor.

At the same time, Sweet adds, his project mentor, Assistant Professor Clifford Murphy, provides an atmosphere that welcomes initiative and allows students to develop their own ideas. Sweet says the work is so intriguing, he finds himself reading related journal articles, not necessarily for fun, but to build on his knowledge base and expand his horizons:

“The experience I’m getting now is incredibly important for my development as a student and just as a good human being.”

Story and photo by Amy Dunkle