Deep-C Sponsors and Mentors Two NOAA-NGI Diversity Internship Participants

August 11, 2014 -- Each summer, exciting scientific internships are available in a variety of fields studied by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Northern Gulf Institute (NGI) scientists including coastal science, fisheries management, climate change, ecosystem management, engineering and socio-economic data analysis. The NOAA-NGI Diversity Internship Program offers students from all scientific disciplines (including biological, physical, environmental, information, computer and social sciences as well as environmental justice), as well as education and engineering, are eligible for these competitive positions.

“Selected students work side-by-side with leading scientists and experts in their fields at their respective research institutions and laboratories,” says Dr. Tina Miller-Way, Internship Program PI and Chair of the Discovery Hall Program at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL). “These internships offer a unique opportunity for on-the-job learning and enable students to explore career opportunities that match their academic and personal interests.”

The NOAA-NGI Diversity Internship Program has been in existence since 2008: DISL has been the home of the program since 2010. To date, the program has hosted 64 interns at 18 locations across the northern Gulf.

This summer, the Deep-C Consortium is supporting two students selected for participation with scientists Drs. Richard Snyder and James Nienow acting as their mentors and facilitating the interns’ research:

One of the recent advances in marine science has been the knowledge that Archaea bacteria, previously known as the extremophiles, live in non-extreme environments. Intern Cynthia Kane (pictured left) working with Dr. Richard Snyder of the University of West Florida is using several microbiology techniques including polymerase chain reactions (PCR), gel electrophoresis, and clonal library creation to analyze water and sediment samples collected from the Gulf of Mexico to determine the different types of Archaea present. To learn more, read Cynthia’s blog at: http://deepcconsortium.blogspot.com/search/label/Cynthia%20Kane%27s%20Internship%20-%20Summer%202014

Chris Horruitiner (pictured right) worked with Dr. James Nienow of Valdosta State University (GA) to investigate the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon event on the phytoplankton populations in the DeSoto Canyon region of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Chris used a combination of net plankton samples (across the entire water column), pigment samples (for HPLC), and discrete Niskin bottle water samples from several depths across the water column analyzed using SEM and imaging flow cytometry to address how phytoplankton populations change with depth and with season in this area. To learn more, read Chris’ blog at: http://deepcconsortium.blogspot.com/2014/07/christopher-horruitiners-internship.html

NOAA-NGI internships last 10 weeks and are open to undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in a degree-granting program. There is an emphasis on selecting students from communities and institutions in the northern Gulf of Mexico region, and individuals from demographic groups underrepresented in the NOAA workforce are especially encouraged to apply. For information about future NOAA-NGI internship opportunities visit http://ngi-internship.disl.org/.

The Deep-C (Deep Sea to Coast Connectivity in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico) Consortium is a long-term, interdisciplinary study of deep sea to coast connectivity in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. The study is investigating the environmental consequences of petroleum hydrocarbon release in the deep Gulf on living marine resources and ecosystem health. Deep-C research is made possible by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative.

Tina Miller-Way

Dr. Tina Miller-Way is Chair of Discovery Hall Programs for Education and Outreach at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL). The lab, located in southern Mobile County off Alabama's Gulf Coast, is well-known for their excellence in education and outreach programming. As a marine laboratory, DISL's mission encompasses marine science education, marine science research, coastal zone management policy and educating the general public through the Estuarium, Dauphin Island Sea Lab's public aquarium. The lab partners with more than 20 colleges and with primary schools to offer marine science coursework up to the graduate level. The research programs of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab range from biogeochemistry and oceanography to systems ecology. Most research focuses on the near-shore and estuarine processes of Mobile Bay, field sites of our internationally-renowned faculty include Mexico, Australia, and Croatia and other countries.