Summer Student Internship Available for SEANET

The University of Maine’s Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Network (SEANET) is seeking a summer student intern to work on projects involving sea vegetable aquaculture in Maine. The internship is for 3 months (12 weeks), from May 18th to August 31st (starting and ending dates can be flexible).

Our objective is to ascertain the aquaculture value of an intertidal kelp species, Alaria esculenta. This kelp is a newcomer to sea vegetable aquaculture and will be used to test how rising sea temperatures may affect future production. The student will work on a variety of projects including: (1) culturing Alaria to aid in the understanding of how best to supply farmers with seedstock, (2) running temperature stress tests on cultures to assess growth response under stress, (3) seeding Alaria lines and aiding in grow-out experiments on a local sea farm, (4) exploring the microbial associates with sea vegetable crops to understand the effects of polyculture, and (5) helping with gene expression experiments to understand Alaria’s molecular-level response to heat stress. This internship will supply a balance of field and lab work and offers experience with data collection and analysis, sustainable aquaculture techniques, and an understanding of marine intertidal biology.

Requirements

The intern will participate in field-based data collection within the intertidal zone that may be physically demanding and require long hours outdoors. The ability to work at a microscope for multiple hours is necessary. Above all, we are looking for a student who is organized and enthusiastic about the project. All work is based out of Orono, ME. A stipend of $3,000 will be provided for a 12 week internship. Please contact Charlotte T.C. Quigley for more information at charlotte.quigley@maine.edu.