A Summer of STEM

Each year BIOS selects a handful of qualified Bermudian students to participate in the Bermuda Program. The summer internship opportunity pairs participants with BIOS faculty and scientific staff to work on research projects in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), with a focus on marine and atmospheric sciences.

The program, which began in 1976, provides participants with paid fellowships, which includes a stipend plus laboratory expenses. Interns work full-time for four to eight weeks gaining skills relevant to a variety of industries and careers through both laboratory and field-based experiences.

For 2021, BIOS has selected a total of seventeen students as Bermuda Program interns. Additionally, two of these students have been named as Bermuda Program Gray Interns based on their academic merit, leadership potential, and ability to serve as ambassadors for BIOS education programs throughout Bermuda’s communities.

Maria Bickley
• 19, rising third year student in mechanical engineering at Imperial College London (England)
• Mentor: Tim Noyes (BIOS)
• Project: The objective of Maria’s work is to provide insight into the physical and biological connections that dictate how marine debris moves from high concentrations in the Atlantic garbage patch through major ocean features and finally to Bermuda’s beaches. Specifically, she will be assisting in the analysis of data to determine dominant flow patterns around the Cooper’s Island nature reserve.
• “My aim at BIOS is to be able to understand how the concepts of engineering can mesh with the rest of the world, including the biological sciences. I hope to bring some of my expertise to the project and use the skills I have learned at university.”

An-Mei Daniels
• 17, recent graduate of Warwick Academy; hopes to attend the University of Exeter (England) and major in the natural sciences
• 2020 Ocean Academy intern
• Mentor: Rachel Parsons (BIOS)
• Project: Using a method to remove the microbial biofilm communities found on marine microplastics, she will determine how quickly the plastics are colonized by marine bacteria and what bacteria are found in the biofilm. She will also be using a culturing technique to isolate bacteria that are using the specific plastics as a food source.
• “I hope to gain further experience in a research position in the sciences to better understand the role, and to learn new skills that I can apply in whatever research I undertake in the future.”

Saxon Davis
• 19, rising second year student in biology at the University of British Columbia (Canada)
• 2020 Ocean Academy intern
• Mentor: Samia Sarkis (Living Reefs Foundation)
• Project: Comparing the growth rate for rescued corals between a damaged reef and controlled hatchery conditions. Saxon will be working with another Bermuda Program intern and will be responsible for setting up the experiment, determining methods for assessment of coral growth, and collecting data. This work will provide insight into the performance of techniques used for field restoration and feed into the long-term strategy of Living Reefs Foundations’ Coral Garden Initiative.
• “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to use everything I’ve learned during my first year of university and having more hands-on, fieldwork experience in a scientific setting.”

Zoe Hasselkus
• 17, rising second year student in the IB Diploma Program at Somersfield Academy
• First year Bermuda Program intern
• Mentor: Robbie Smith (Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo)
• Project: Assisting with surveys to determine if a lethal coral disease called Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), which is widespread in the northern Caribbean, is present on Bermuda’s reefs. She will also be inspecting areas where seagrass protection cages have been installed to see if the seagrass is recovering.
• “I applied to the BIOS Bermuda Program because I wanted the opportunity to perform daily hands-on research, both in the field and in a laboratory setting, with a world class scientist. I want to focus on a career that uses science to help society understand the importance of ecosystems and nature conservation, as well as understand the impacts of climate change, and the Bermuda Program can help me to gain real-life experience exploring these topics.”

Sebastian Lee
• 19, rising second year student (anticipated major biology with minor in French or biochemistry) at Carleton College (U.S.A.)
• First year Bermuda Program intern
• Mentor: Yvonne Sawall (BIOS)
• Project: In order to conduct realistic laboratory experiments, it is important to ensure the water quality of experimental setups is comparable to real-world reef conditions. Sebastian will be assessing the water quality of seawater used in flow-through systems at BIOS (e.g., the wetlabs and mesocosm facility). He will conduct regular water sampling in Ferry Reach and in the experimental facilities and measure temperature, salinity, nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll, particulate matter, and plankton composition. These values will be compared to conditions on Bermuda’s rim reefs.
• “I decided to apply in order to see whether pursuing a research career in the ocean sciences is something that resonates with me, and to gain lab skills that will help me in my STEM courses moving forward.”

Maya Leighton
• 19, rising first year student in ocean exploration and surveying at University of Plymouth (England)
• First year Bermuda Program intern through the Chubb Community Service Values Summer Program; Ocean Academy Saturday Internship participant
• Mentor: Rachel Parsons (BIOS)
• Project: Investigating the response of ocean microbes to the dissolved organic carbon produced by Sargassum. She will be taking images of the microbes using a microscope and using the images to determine the cell biovolumes, which will then be used to produce specific values needed for experimental treatments. She will also be assisting with identifying the bacterial community that responds to each treatment.
• “I hope to learn the ins and outs of working in the lab and field with other like-minded scientists. I believe it will prepare me well for university.”

Cara Mallon
• 19, rising third year student in geology at Glasgow University (Scotland)
• First year Bermuda Program Intern
• Mentors: Joanna Pitt (Bermuda Department of Environment and Natural Resources, DENR); Gretchen Goodbody-Gringley (Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme, BOPP and Central Caribbean Marine Institute, CCMI); and Jirani Welch (Waitt Institute)
• Project: By analyzing fishing statistics and time lapse video, Cara plans to develop an automated image analysis system that will be used by the DENR going forward.
• “I’m hoping to gain lab experience and learn about data analysis techniques that will help me in future careers.”

Matthew Nagel
• 18, recent graduate of Oakham School (England); hopes to attend University College London (England) and major in biochemistry
• First year Bermuda Program intern
• Mentor: Julius Barsi (BIOS)
• Project: Computationally analyzing a catalog of genes derived from transgenic experiments to contribute to ongoing research and becoming familiar with large datasets. It is anticipated that approximately 5,000 genes will be identified as crucial for the early stage of embryonic development.
• “I applied to the Bermuda Program because not only is it an amazing opportunity to gain experience in a real lab environment and learn more about my interests in ocean sciences, but also because much of the research being done at BIOS is so important and beneficial for our local community, and that is something I knew I would be proud to be a part of.”

Shavon Nisbet
• 16, rising third year student at Warwick Academy
• First year Bermuda Program intern
• Mentor: Matt Enright (BIOS)
• Project: Comparing the effectiveness of two different types of commonly-used fish bait. Shavon is leading this project and will be responsible for setting up the experiment, determining methods for assessing fish behavior, and collecting footage and data on a daily basis. In addition to the science question and outcomes, he and his mentor will also be focusing on the application of experimental design thinking, iterative problem-solving techniques, and the scientific method.
• “I hope to learn as much as possible about what a marine biologist does in their daily life.”

Ellie Page
• 19, rising second year student double majoring in environmental science and Spanish at Colby College (U.S.A.)
• First year Bermuda Program intern; 2019 Marine Science Internship participant
• Mentor: Yvonne Sawall (BIOS)
• Project: In order to conduct realistic laboratory experiments, it is important to ensure the water quality of experimental setups is comparable to real-world reef conditions. Ellie will be assessing the water quality of seawater used in flow-through systems at BIOS (e.g., the wetlabs and mesocosm facility). She will conduct regular water sampling in Ferry Reach and in the experimental facilities, and measure temperature, salinity, nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll, particulate matter, and plankton composition. These values will be compared to conditions on Bermuda’s rim reefs.
• “I wanted to participate in the BIOS Bermuda Program internship because I am very interested in marine science and climate change and wanted to learn more about how coral reefs and the ocean are being impacted by climate change. I also hoped to see the different roles of scientists at BIOS and figure out if marine science is something I want to pursue in the future.”

Andreas Ratteray
• 26, graduate of Stanford University (U.S.A.) with a master’s in earth systems science
• 2015 and 2016 Bermuda Program intern, 2021 Bermuda Program Gray Intern
• Mentor: Tim Noyes (BIOS)
• Project: With seagrass restoration currently underway, scientists are in need of a tool to monitor the recovery of Bermuda’s seagrass habitats. In addition to increasing the acreage of seagrass, successful seagrass restoration must also include the restoration of this habitat’s essential ecological services (e.g., nursery habitat for fish). In this study, we propose a novel method for assessing the residency of fishes in seagrasses by evaluating biodiversity using environmental DNA.
• “I am excited to be part of the Bermuda Program again because it provides me with an opportunity to directly serve my community by studying our island’s few remaining seagrass beds. By trialing a new technique for assessing the biodiversity of seagrass beds, I hope to not only make a novel contribution to conservation science, but also to establish a protocol for the long-term monitoring of seagrass restoration efforts here in Bermuda.”

Marcus Rewan
• 19, second year student in the Bermuda College associate of science program; plans to continue education abroad in Halifax or England and work toward a Bachelor of Science in microbiology.
• 2019 Bermuda Program intern and 2021 Bermuda Program Gray Intern
• Mentor: Rachel Parsons (BIOS)
• Project: In the ocean, as plankton bloom and die, their organic matter can form small particles that are colonized by microbes. Marcus will be investigating the microbial community associated with marine aggregates. Specifically, he will be looking for a method to break apart these aggregates and, if successful, he will also examine their microbial community.
• “I am hoping to learn a lot more about operating in a lab environment and gain hands-on experience in other projects concerning microbes. I was in a bad bike accident a year ago where I was impaled by a wooden fence, which allowed various bacteria and fungi to enter my bloodstream. This experience added to my drive to become a microbiologist and one day have an impact in the research being conducted.”

Quelasia Rogers-Bailey
• 17, recent graduate of Warwick Academy. University undecided, but will be studying anatomy.
• First year Bermuda Program intern
• Mentor: Tarik Smith (Koom Consulting)
• Project: Determining the effectiveness of specific water treatment methods designed to minimize sediment accumulation in residential water tanks in Bermuda. Over the summer Quelasia and her mentor will carry out the remaining field work, as well as the air quality and geographical data analyses required to complete the preliminary phase of the project.
• “I decided to apply to the Bermuda Program because I believe it will teach me a lot of skills that will be utilized in my studies in university. I hope to gain more skills, whether lab or research, and mold myself into a better scientist and researcher.”

Logan Soares
• 19, rising second year student in the integrated masters in marine biology program at the University of Southampton (England)
• First year Bermuda Program Intern
• Mentor: Samia Sarkis (Living Reefs Foundation)
• Project: Comparing the growth rate for rescued corals between a damaged reef and controlled hatchery conditions. Logan will be working with another Bermuda Program intern and will be responsible for setting up the experiment, determining methods for assessment of coral growth, and collecting data. This work will provide insight into the performance of techniques used for field restoration and feed into the long-term strategy of Living Reefs Foundations’ Coral Garden Initiative.
• “By participating in the Bermuda Program internship, I hope to gain experience in the field of marine biology, because marine research and conservation are the main areas I would like to work in after university. I feel this internship will help me to find the specific profession I hope to work in and provide me with skills that will help in future endeavors.”

Jasper Thomas
• 18, rising freshman in marine biology at Dalhousie University (Canada)
• 2020 Ocean Academy intern; Marine Science Internship participant
• Mentor: Robbie Smith (Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo)
• Project: Surveying the fish communities found along the coastal zone in both inshore and reef environments. This project, now in its third year, helps scientists understand the diversity and abundance of fishes in our coastal waters, which will be helpful to the marine spatial planning work of the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme.
• “I wanted to do a BIOS internship because I really enjoyed my time working as an intern for the past two years and wanted to gain experience working for a marine scientist before I head to college.”

Iziah Tucker
• 18, second year student in culinary arts at Bermuda College
• First year Bermuda Program intern through the Chubb Community Service Values Summer Program; Marine Science Internship participant
• Mentor: Rachel Parsons (BIOS)
• Project: Working on a marine microplastics project looking at how microbes colonize three different plastics in the marine environment, focusing on the microfauna that attach to the plastics.
• “I am interested in field work and want to improve my lab skills. I would like a career in marine sciences and am interested in teaching science to kids.”

Treiana Zuill
• 19, rising fourth year student in coastal environmental science at Flagler College (U.S.A)
• 2020 Ocean Academy intern, 2019 Bermuda Program intern
• Mentor: Robbie Smith (Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo)
• Project: Surveying the fish communities found along the coastal zone in both inshore and reef environments. This project, now in its third year, helps us understand the diversity and abundance of fishes in our coastal waters, which will be helpful to the marine spatial planning work of the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme.
• “The Bermuda program is allowing me to explore the potential of working in the field of marine science, as well as provide me with an opportunity to better understand how to explore different avenues of study while in school and attempt to specify my career path.”

For more information on the BIOS Bermuda Program, please visit Bermuda Summer Student Programs