The Blue Economy Internship Program (BEIP)

Responsible for assisting the cephalopod operations team with a diverse set of tasks, primarily supporting animal husbandry initiatives.  Some of these duties include but are not limited to feeding animals, harvesting eggs, daily maintenance, organizational responsibilities, assisting with system setup, etc.  This is a great opportunity to gain invaluable hands-on experience with marine laboratory mariculture systems and animals. In addition to general animal care, the selected intern will conduct a direct research project focused on optimizing bobtail squid culture.

Skills/Interests Required:  Teamwork, attention to detail, interested in animal care. 

12 – 16 hours per week for up to six months, e.g. two weekdays for 2-3 hours each day plus one full weekend day

The Social Media and Multimedia intern in the MBL’s Communications Department would be involved with the creation of content for the MBL’s social media channels—Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. This is a collaborative position where the intern will be able to help shape how the MBL tells its stories on social media and participate in some of our big engagement campaigns (like MBL March Madness). It’s a great position for someone interested in the digital side of science communications. Some duties include, but aren’t limited to: video creation, post scheduling, graphic design, and social media analytics reporting. 

Skills/Interests Required: Strong written communication skills, familiarity with social media, attention to detail, creativity, and willingness to learn.

10 - 15 hours per week through June 2024 - hybrid and flexible hours

Project Description:  Assessing seaweed abundance around Cape Cod and establishing an in vitro system for seagrass seed cultivation.

In recent years, scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory have noticed an increase in abundance of seaweed in beach wrack, suggesting an increase in algal blooms that could threaten the coastal economy, both in terms of aquaculture and tourism.  The Teichberg Lab is currently working on assessing the abundance of these seaweeds in the wrack and developing experiments to determine the physiology of the algae in current and future global change scenarios.  Additionally, Zostera marina is a marine plant present in the coasts of Cape Cod, which provides several ecosystem services to the coastal communities, such as sediment stabilization, nursery grounds, and carbon storage.  In the last decade, specifically due to the low water quality of the coast, this plant has been disappearing from the coast.  We aim to establish an in vitro cultivation method in incubation chambers in the MBL to develop restoration methods to bring back seagrass in areas where it has disappeared. 

An intern working in these projects would have the following tasks:

• Processing algae biomass samples to determine the relative abundance of various seaweeds in the wrack.
• Processing samples for isotopic analysis of carbon and nitrogen.
• Assisting with experiments to determine best cultivation media for seagrass seedling growth.
• Measuring environmental conditions in the chamber and growth of the seeds and plantlets in the cultivation system.
• Assisting with development of protocol for in vitro cultivation.

The intern will perform a data synthesis and report on seaweed abundances and isotopic data in beach wrack along local Cape Cod beaches and seagrass in vitro cultivation methods.

10 – 15 hours per week for up to six months

In this internship, students will learn how CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing works and how it is used to study basic biology and biomedicine. The student will use CRISPR to edit genes involved in aging and reproduction in rotifers (microscopic, aquatic, invertebrate animals) and characterize how the change in gene DNA sequence affects the organism’s phenotype. This project involves conducting a range of molecular biology techniques and bioinformatics analyses. Additional activities include microscopy, data entry and analysis, and culturing phytoplankton and zooplankton. The student will create and characterize one or more CRISPR-edited mutant lineages and will write a short paper documenting their project. Students should have some familiarity with fundamental concepts in biology, but prior laboratory experience is not required; all necessary training will be provided.

12 – 24 hours per week for 3 to 5 months

Specific Projects

• NAV Vendor Data Table:  advance identification of supplier profiles to be moved to new system; and advance effort for soliciting and organizing ACH details for recurring supplier profiles. The intern will be provided with electronic files of NAV suppliers, and based on criteria provided by MBL, will initiate outreach for solicitation of ACH details. 
• NAV Purchase Order Table:  review dated POs lingering in Nav that probably should be closed.  The intern will be provided with a list of POs/cc managers and will send each cc manager a list of POs to review and mark okay to close, then the intern will initiate the closure of the record, with guided supervision.
• NAV Gift Restrictions Fields:  review of data within two existing databases to identify inconsistencies and omissions, initiate approved updates, and compile single database for forward use.  The intern will be provided with existing databases, instruction, and guidance/ oversight.
• Data File Organization with the File Manager Software:  key electronic files retained electronically within a shared drive environment require rearrangement of subfolder filing scheme and archiving of older files.  The intern will be provided with before and after subfolder filing scheme and date ranges for archiving, and written instruction for tasks to accomplish, with guided supervision.

Experience Benefits to the Intern

• Glean visibility into four functional areas within the financial services team, as well as engage with multiple team members which allows the intern to experience differing styles of management and instruction.
• Opportunity to work on attention-to-detail skills and to apply a willingness-to-learn attitude.

This internship experience is best suited for a student within or contemplating future studies within Computer Science, Accountancy, or Financial Support fields, but a specific field of study is not a requirement.

Flexible weekday hours through June, 2024

Specific Projects

• Analysis of transactional database using Excel tools to filter and identify and document proper expense period recognition.
• Compile five specific data analysis efforts and update results within annual audit/tax workpapers.  The intern would be provided with prior year files, instruction, and guidance/oversight.
• Compile additional specific data analysis efforts like those cited above, but of a more complex nature, should time permit.

Experience Benefits to the Intern

• Glean visibility into how accounting data is utilized and organized by a company in preparation for satisfying its annual audit and tax filing requirements.
• Opportunity to work on attention-to-detail skills and to apply a willingness-to-learn attitude.  This role emphasizes problem solving more so than math.

This internship experience is best suited for a student within or contemplating future studies within Public Accountancy, Accountancy, Tax, or Business fields, but a specific field of study is not a requirement.

Flexible weekday hours through June, 2024