Recent Certificate Internships

Brown tonging oysters in Apalachicola Bay
Brown tonging oysters in Apalachicola Bay

Joyer returning from a dive in Curacao
Joyner returning from a dive in Curacao

Sandy in tall grass in a Louisiana marsh
Sandy in tall grass in a Louisiana marsh

Every summer, students in the FSU Department of Biological Science's Certificate Program in Marine Biology work directly with a marine scientist mentor to gain hands on research experience. Each student ends the experience by writing a report in manuscript form and making an oral presentation in a mini-symposium held the following fall. Projects conducted during Summer 2007 are listed below.

Dianna Abdo. "The effect of increased macrophytic algae on seagrass meadows in the northern Gulf of Mexico". Mentor: Dr. David Thistle. Study site: FSU Coastal & Marine Laboratory.

Alicia Brown. "Higher salinity may lead to increased mortality in the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica". Mentor: Dr. Laura Petes. Study Site: Apalachicola Bay. Brown is a candidate for an Honor's Thesis and received a scholarship from the Honor's Program to continue this work.

Crystal Jackson. "The relationship of size and righting rates in Mellita quinquiesperforata." Mentor: Dr. William Herrnkind. Study site: FSU Coastal & Marine Laboratory.

Jessica Joyner. "Sponge attachment and growth: contribution to Caribbean coral reef ecology." Mentor: Brendan Biggs. Study site: Curacao. Joyner entered a poster on her research in the Tri-Beta Poster Session for undergraduate research.

Jenny Kemper. Diet of cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus, in northwest Florida: do they affect scallop populations? Mentor: Dr. John Carlson. Study site: National Marine Fisheries Service Laboratory, Panama City, FL.

Lindsay Myerowtiz. "The effect of environmental factors on the righting of sea stars- Echinaster spinulosus." Mentor: Dr. William Herrnkind. Study site: FSU Coastal & Marine Laboratory.

Kelly Preston. "Habitat use range analysis of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in St. George Sound and Apalachicola Bay, Florida." Mentor: Dr. Douglas Nowacek. Study site: Northwest Florida coast. Preston is a candidate for an Honor's Thesis.

Elin Sandy. "The effects of flooding on four emergent marsh grass species: Panicum hemitomon, Sagiltaria lancifolia, Spartina palens, and Spartina alterniflora." Mentor: Dr. Jenneke Visser. Study site: Louisiana State University.