Roger Williams Students Earn EPSCoR Summer Research Fellowships
BRISTOL, R.I., May 2008 – For a group of Roger Williams University student researchers, this summer will be devoted to the exciting world of zebra fish, oysters, algae and marine viruses.
Four Roger Williams undergraduates recently earned prestigious Rhode Island EPSCoR summer research fellowships, which will allow them to complete independent marine science research projects. Only 25 applicants from across the state were awarded the highly competitive fellowships, which are designed to promote life-science research.
Each of the RWU students will work in collaboration with a Roger Williams faculty member from the University’s Center for Economic and Environmental Development and will receive a $3,500 stipend for the work. Participants and projects include:
• Sophomore Jessie Alden of Cataumet, Mass., with Assistant Professor Brian Wysor will pursue “Documenting the Biodiversity of Panamanian Marine Algae.”
• Junior Ashley Goss of Taunton, Mass., with Associate Professor Kerri Warren (and Assistant Professor Lazaros Kochilas of Brown University) will research “Determining the Role of a Group of Proteins on Cardiovascular Development in Zebra Fish.”
• Junior Natalie Huey of Ridgefield, Conn., with Shellfish Hatchery Manager Karin Tammi will pursue “Monitoring Predation of Oysters in Restored Habitat in Mount Hope Bay.”
• Senior Danielle Perley of Rowley, Mass., with Professor Marcia Marston will explore “Understanding the Genetic Diversity and Genome Evolution of Marine Viruses in Narragansett Bay.”
Rhode Island EPSCoR—the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research—is a National Science Foundation-funded program committed to increasing undergraduate research and student-faculty collaborations across the state.
For more information, contact Jim Lemire, EPSCoR marine center coordinator at Roger Williams, at (401) 254-5718.