Miscellaneous
In the way oysters are keystone species in aquatic ecosystems, such are interns at the Ocean Research and Conservation Association. Over the summer, our bustling lab hosted a total of 10 interns, ranging from high school to grad school. This week we talk to a senior at Berry College, Kathryn Lanyon, who spent her internship catching and tending to buckets of oysters-- literally. Lanyon's expertise lies in environmental science with roots in biology. As she discusses, oysters are a keystone species: when they take a hit, so do all their aquatic neighbors. Thus, her summer studies focused on these linchpin bivalves to expand ORCA's knowledge and understanding of their purpose in the Indian River Lagoon as well as the risks they face via increasing toxin exposure. She experienced the true struggles of scientists everywhere as she troubleshot road blocks time and again, but this only enhanced her perception of what applied research is. Lanyon whole-heartedly engaged with the IRL community by working in both the lab and the field over three months. Ultimately, her work set the foundation for one of ORCA's up-and-coming Citizen Science projects. Want to be a resilient scientist like Kathryn? Check out https://www.teamorca.org/citizen-science.html** Project described in this episode has evolved during the pilot study and additional information will be available early 2020.**Support the show