“Looking back, I don’t think I had a complete picture of what working as a scientist really meant.”

Research fellow: Rachael Renzi
Hometown: Johnston, RI
School: University of Rhode Island
Major: Biological Sciences
Mentors: Tal Ben-Horin (URI), Dina Proestou (USDA Agricultural Research Service)
Project: Genetic disease resistance in selectively bred oysters

In a small outbuilding on the URI Narragansett Bay Campus, junior Rachael Renzi works quietly amid the bustle of summer research projects at the Marine Science Research Facility, a Rhode Island EPSCoR core facility.

Renzi explains that she is investigating disease resistance in selectively bred oysters, taking specific families of oysters and injecting them with different concentrations of the disease, Dermo, caused by the parasite Perkinsus marinus.

“We see which ones die and then dissect the tissue,” Renzi says. “After the genetic analysis, we can determine which oysters have the highest concentration of parasite in their tissue. Then, we can see which ones are best at withstanding higher doses of Dermo without being severely diseased.”

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9th Annual SURF Conference: Friday, July 29, 2016

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The project seeks to determine if the ability of some oysters to better tolerate the parasite is genetic and develop tools to ease the impact of the disease on the oyster aquaculture industry. The outcome holds particular meaning for the Ocean State, where, according to the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) 2015 annual status report on aquaculture, oysters remain the top aquaculture product with 8,272,172 sold for consumption last year. The combined value of aquaculture products for consumption and seed sales was $5.59 million in 2015, the report said.

Dermo, originally found in southern locations, has spread northward as climate change increases water temperatures, ramping up the threat to oyster production. The expectation is that Dermo will spread and grow more severe as water temperatures rise along the New England coast.

For Renzi, who has experience working in a diagnostic lab, the SURF project introduced her to research. Among her duties, she cleans the tanks, maintains the oysters, conducts dissection, and performs DNA extraction.

“Since my major is so broad, I wanted to explore different parts of the field,” Renzi explains. “It’s really interesting — it incorporates both the genetic and ecological parts. And, the pace depends on what’s going on with the project from day to day.”

The summer research experience has been important for her, Renzi adds, since she didn’t have any certainty about what she might do after graduation. Now, she is contemplating whether graduate school and research may be a path to pursue.

“Who knows?” she asks. “Looking back, I don’t think I had a complete picture of what working as a scientist really meant.”

Story and photo by Amy Dunkle