Project Overview
Marine species and communities rely on currents, water temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen for survival and growth. Together, they influence the location and abundance of species and the composition of communities. The Isles of Shoals are a group of islands with apparent dynamic oceanographic features that can vary within the archipelago, providing an ideal environment to collect novel data and bring new knowledge to our understanding of oceanographic patterns and their relationship between species and communities.
The Physical Oceanography and Ecology Undergraduate Researcher will learn to deploy, retrieve and analyze CTD (conductivity, temperature and depth) casts, deploy and analyze remote underwater videos and work with Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) data. CTD casts will be conducted at regular intervals during the 10-week research period using SML research vessels. Co-located camera deployments will be used to describe the biological community across the different sampling locations within the Isles of Shoals. The researcher will be part of the larger Shoals Undergraduate Research Group cohort.
Prerequisites
Appropriate coursework in oceanography, marine biology and related fields is strongly recommended. Interested students should be detail-oriented and comfortable working with data/spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel. Experience coding in R and other languages is preferred, but not required. The Physical Oceanography and Ecology researcher will spend several hours each week aboard SML research vessels and therefore must be comfortable on boats and at sea. Additional knowledge of digital photography and photo ID is ideal but not a prerequisite. Previous relevant field experience is preferred, but not required.
Project Mentors
Dr. Jennifer Dijkstra (Research Associate Professor, Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, University of New Hampshire)
Dr. Thomas Lippmann (Professor, Department of Earth Sciences and Ocean Engineering, University of New Hampshire)
Melanie Carolan (M.S. student, Oceanography, University of New Hampshire)
Dates: May 30, 2025 to August 11, 2025
SML Research Symposium: August 9, 2025
Stipend: $2100 for the 10-week program
Includes room & board for 10 weeks, and round-trip vessel transportation from Portsmouth, NH to Appledore Island. Researchers are responsible for their own transportation to/from Portsmouth, NH at the beginning and end of the program.
1 undergraduate researcher will be selected.
To Apply
- Application Deadline: February 10, 2025, 11:45 p.m. Eastern time
- Applicants should be prepared to upload (as separate files): cover letter, resume/CV, and unofficial transcripts. Please use the following naming convention for all files: Last_First Name_file title (example: Smith_John_resume).
- Request two letters of recommendation. At least one letter must be from a professor/faculty member. The second can be from a graduate student TA or employer.
- Undergraduates in all majors may apply.
- Prior relevant field/lab experience preferred but not required.
- All applicants will be notified of their application status by email no later than March 14, 2025.
Note for international students: International students studying in the United States under an F-1 visa are eligible to work as a research intern at SML. Before applying, we encourage students to confirm with their academic institution about their eligibility for off-campus employment through a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or other comparable program.
Questions?
Email shoals.lab@unh.edu