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Research and education are top priorities at OGL. We work to inspire young scientists toward careers in marine science and related research by hosting college undergraduates and high school student interns. We provide first-hand experiences in the laboratory and in the field. Most interns take responsibility for their own research projects, from designing and implementing experiments to analyzing and presenting research results. The success of our internships depends on the highly motivated individuals who spend a summer, semester, or longer working with us at OGL. Over the past 4 years, we have hosted 7 interns and we would like to introduce you to them.
Two BRIDGE students: Liz dissects mussel tissue and Nicole shows off a beautiful sea star she found in Australia.
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Nicole Wood spent her summer and winter breaks at OGL for 5 years. She first came to us through Ipswich High School's BRIDGE Program. Her primary project was to determine how different bacteria are related to one another using DNA sequences from six different genes. This gave her hands on experience with DNA cloning, PCR, DNA sequencing, experimental design, and data analysis. She is now a Masters student at the Virginia Commonwealth University in their Genetic Counseling Program. Her favorite part of working at OGL was, "the opportunity to work with so many wonderful and diverse post-docs, plus the beautiful NEB campus and relaxed and friendly atmosphere. OGL truly shaped me into the scientist I am today, and while I have officially left OGL to become a Genetic Counselor, I promise to visit whenever I am back in Ipswich!" Since Nicole's tenure, two more of Ipswich High School's finest seniors have interned at OGL through the BRIDGE program. Liz Jackson (University of Vermont '13) spent two summers preparing DNA extractions for the OGL's DNA biorepository and assisted former post-doc Koty Sharp grow bacterial symbionts from coral reefs. Liz also conducted research to improve methods for preserving tissues from marine organisms. For the latter project, she spent hours carefully dissecting mussels, photographing them, and making sure to put them in the proper replicate treatments. Her research has helped OGL improve the fixatives we use to prevent DNA degradation. 
| | Andrew loads a gel to check his DNA extraction and Bayron dissects a shipworm clam under the microscope. |
Our most recent BRIDGE student, Andrew Galanis (Worcester Polytechnic Institute '15) contributed to the Biorepository and worked with Bayron Contreras, Jr. to help former post-doc Jennifer Fung characterize bacteria from marine clams called shipworms. Like skilled surgeons, Andrew and Bayron carefully dissected individual organs from the shipworms underneath the microscope (not an easy task since one shipworm is less than half a centimeter wide!). Bayron is our youngest intern. He spent his first summer at OGL when he was just a freshmen at Ipswich High School and returned last summer. Jay Martel (Endicott College '13) added to the growing number of DNA extractions in the biorepository during his three-week stay at OGL. In addition to lab work, he assisted with a field collection trip to the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, MA and came back with 34 new specimens for the OGR (not bad for a single days work)! When asked about his experience he said, "I have a few career paths in mind and OGL really allowed me to explore the reseach side of biology, something I had little prior experience with".  | | Bria sets up 96 samples to be extracted while Katie estimates DNA concentration using a nanodrop spectrophotometer. |
Our current interns are Bria Pelletier (Gordon College '13) and Katie Kelly (Endicott College '12). Bria has been working part-time at OGL since last summer. Katie is fulfilling her college's required semester-long internship by assisting with the biorepository. Both Bria and Katie are increasing the collection by performing high through-put DNA extractions, checking quality, and accurately recording their work in the biorepository database. All of our interns receive hands-on training and experience to help them reach their career goals, but they also contribute to OGL's mission of preserving marine biodiversity. OGL has the opportunity to work with these amazing individuals and in return grow the biorepository, which provides researchers with samples and safe storage. So far, intern efforts have contributed to over 50% of all the DNA extracts generated by OGL! Additionally they contribute to research projects aimed at finding alternate fuel sources and improving the health of coral reefs. OGL encourages students with any interest in marine, molecular, or microbiology to intern with us. | 
