Through Undergraduate Research Opportunities
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| Erica Bodnar |
Bodnar spent the summer studying at the Rutgers University campus in New Brunswick, N.J., where she participated in the Research Internship in Ocean Sciences program. The Wittenberg biology major worked with graduate student Patricia Ramey, who is currently working toward her Ph.D. at Rutgers.
Although Bodnar described working with such an advanced student as “overwhelming at first,” she said she ultimately learned a lot from working one-on-one with her mentor. At the program’s close, Bodnar and 14 other interns presented their research projects to a panel of three judges at Rutgers. Bodnar’s project won first place, securing a position at the American Society of Limnology Oceanography (ASLO) conference in February in Santa Fe, N.M.
At the ASLO conference, Bodnar will present her research project in a competition against other undergraduate winners and graduate students from around the country.
Bodnar’s research focused on benthic ecology, and she worked with a small polychaete worm living on the intercontinental shelf off the coast of New Jersey. Bodnar, who also has a marine science minor, knew she wanted to study a type of invertebrate, and she chose the polygordius sp. marine worm.
Bodnar’s research project titled “Polygordius sp., an Ambitious Marine Worm” involved studying the animal’s habitat selection. The project spanned a 48-hour period in a racetrack flume filled with sea water. Plastic paddles were used to mimic the actual underwater flow of the ocean to recreate the worms’ natural habitat.
Within the tank, Bodnar placed sand patches with and without the organic material that the polygordius sp. worms use for food. The experiment was to determine whether these worms would choose their habitat based on the food source available. In conclusion, Bodnar found that the worms selected the habitat where food was readily available.
Bodnar is continuing her studies this semester at the Duke University’s Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, N.C., where she is taking three classes and completing an independent research project on the mating behavior of blue crabs. Wittenberg students regularly take advantage of a cooperative agreement between the two universities.
“I chose to go to Duke this semester because I had visited the marine lab my sophomore year, and I absolutely loved it,” Bodnar said. “It’s so beautiful being out on the water.”
Bodnar credited her adviser James M. Welch, assistant professor of biology and director of marine biology, for helping her take advantage of these prestigious research opportunities.
- Written By: Rachel Morgan '08
110-06
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