Kelly Canesi completed her Master's degree in the Rynearson lab in 2015.  Her research focused on species diversity of phytoplankton in Narragansett Bay. Having grown up in New England, her goal as a researcher was to investigate the changes occurring in our local ecosystems and to preserve the beauty of nature in our own backyards. Her other interests include science communication and increasing the presence of women and minorities in STEM fields. She received a B.S. in Biology from UMass Boston in 2011 and  worked in a variety of research settings,including public health, freshwater ecology, and biomedicine. When I’m not feeding diatoms in the lab, I’m feeding my friends and family with excessive amounts of Italian food and cupcakes.  Kelly is currently a program associate in the Marine Microbiology Initiative Office at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.