Coastal Disease Ecology INTERN @ SERC

Kayaking on the Muddy Creek - tributary to the Rhode River - near SERC to collect snails. In the lab, we examined snails for parasites!

I started a 6-month research exchange and internship at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) at the beginning of September!  In this blog post, I will share some of my research experiences so far at SERC, how I found funding for the exchange, and tips for graduate students interested in applying for similar funding. Since it's  Halloween, I'll also be sharing some scary pictures of parasites that I encountered at SERC!
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My research exchange is funded through a National Science Foundation (NSF) INTERN Grant and hosted by Dr. Katrina Lohan and the Coastal Disease Ecology Lab at SERC. INTERN-funded exchanges take place at a federal or national laboratory, a private organization in the startup sector, a museum, etc. in order to help students build relevant skills for future employment in the U.S. science economy. Here, I am building skills and knowledge in disease ecology to better understand the challenges that the US aquaculture and seafood industry faces. 

I was very fortunate to start my research exchange in the early fall, which is a busy time of year for the Coastal Disease Ecology Lab. I was able to participate in annual field surveys that were characterizing parasite infection in oysters, clams, and snails in several rivers on the Chesapeake Bay. The lab does a really impressive range of disease surveys across many marine organisms and widely characterizes the prevalence, abundance, and intensities of parasite infections in these systems. During one of my first days in the lab, I squashed (exactly what it sounds like) the soft bodies of clams between two heavy glass plates. Applying pressure to the top glass plate allowed me to see larval stages of trematode parasites in the clam siphon, and in the case of more advanced infections, within other body tissues. Clams use their siphons to intake water, so it makes sense that the waterborne larval stages of parasites infect the siphon of the clam first. While I thought it was a little gross at first to squash the clam bodies, I quickly realized how exciting it is to find the parasites!​

Squahes of clams between glass plates allow us to look into the tissues for trematode metacercariae - a larval stage - which encyst in the clam host tissue before reproducing.

I was super excited to find this bopyrid isopod, which nested under the carapace of shrimp and was feeding on the host.

During a different field survey, we examined grass shrimp for a variety of parasites. The most interesting parasite to me were the bopyrid isopods. We only found a few of these, but they are easy to spot as dark circles with a ribbed pattern directly underneath the shrimp carapace. These parasites can grow to be quite large and impede the body functions of the shrimp as they nest within the gill tissues. 

Another part of my research exchange expands upon my dissertation research on the bioeroding Polydora worm. These worms cause massive losses to the US oyster half shell market by weakening the oyster shell with blisters that also have bad odors. I want to better understand why some oysters have fewer blisters than others, and use that information to improve oyster aquaculture. I spent a day working at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute  to x-ray image 120 oyster shells with the National Zoo Vet Clinic. The x-ray images uniquely allow me to see the extent of worm tunnels and characterize the infection prevalence. I will be analyzing this data over the next few months to understand how oyster genetics may mitigate shell tunneling, particularly focusing on genes related to shell building and repair. 

An oyster with a severe Polydora worm blister. When the blisters form, the oyster has to divert metabolic and energetic resources to shell repair rather than growth or reproduction, often leading to a loss of bodily condition.

Setting up the oyster shells for x-ray at the National Zoo

​When I found out about the INTERN grant, I knew that I wanted to propose working in a federal laboratory to expand my future career opportunities and continue to learn more about how federally-funded science operates in the US. I think that the INTERN is a really great opportunity for PhD students to develop new skills that are transferrable to non-academic career paths. Here, I'll share some tips on how I prepared my application! It is worth noting that this opportunity is available to students in a lab in which your advisor has an actively funded NSF grant, as the INTERN is submitted as a supplement to the ongoing funding. 

Trematode metacercariae parasites (circles) inside of a clam siphon

Much like applying to graduate school, I found that it was essential to reach out to the lab you'd like to work in order to successfully develop the proposal. Your sponsor (host) lab will need to provide a letter of support, and you need to facilitate intellectual property agreements between your graduate institution and host institution. Beyond the logistics, it was beneficial to build a connection with a lab that I was interested in working with. I co-developed my proposal closely with Dr. Lohan, which started by reaching out and arranging a meeting to discuss the proposal last fall (~1 year from the desired start date). We submitted the application to NSF a few months after that. In my proposal, I detailed how I would acquire new knowledge and skills through unique opportunities at the Smithsonian, and how those experiences and networking would benefit my future career goals.

I am excited to continue my work at SERC soon with upcoming dissections of eels and more shrimp. Enjoy the parasites, and Happy Halloween!