June 22, 2019 – Dining with Parasites: What’s infecting our shellfish?
Caroline Schwaner and Michelle Barbosa, Stony Brook University.
Did you know clams and oysters can get sick just like you? Infection by parasites can be devastating for many shellfish species and shellfish growers. Meet with us to learn about the parasites infecting local shellfish and how scientists are working to diagnose and prevent disease spread.
Interviewing Caroline
Where did you go to school?
I went to Emory University for my undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and I studied diseases that pass between humans and animals in Madagascar. I completed my Masters in Coastal environmental Management in Duke University where I worked in Ecuador on Blue Carbon and also studied tube worms in North Carolina. I’m now at Stony Brook School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences pursuing a PhD in Marine Science.
What is your area of research?
The effects of Ocean Acidification on shellfish, specifically investigating the physiological costs to survive in such conditions and the potential for resilience to Ocean Acidification. I’m particularly interested in how this will impact immunity and disease in shellfish.
Who or what inspired you to become involved in marine science?
I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida and my parents took me boating, fishing, and diving ever since I can remember. I also had the opportunity to volunteer with my town’s Sea Turtle Patrol as a child. I never thought I would make a career out of it, but I’ve traveled a lot and worked in public health and capacity building and the importance of the ocean can be seen in all those different disciplines so I decided to combine all my interests.
What qualities do you think are important in order to become a scientist?
Persistence, passion, and being able to accept that half the time nothing goes as planned.
Why is your research topic important?
Clams and oysters are integral to healthy ecosystems, economies, and culture and they are threatened by ocean acidification. Ocean acidification is a reduction in pH of the ocean and an increase in partial pressure of carbon dioxide. When carbon dioxide increases in seawater this changes the ocean chemistry and through a series of reactions can make calcium carbonate (which shellfish and other marine organisms need to build their shells and skeletons) less available.
What will you be bringing with you to the “meet with an Oceanographer” day?
I plan to bring examples of clam shells from clams grown under acidified conditions, live animals, and some instruments I use in the lab.
What is the best advice you have for people interested in becoming involved in your field of research or in marine sciences?
Reach out to labs and see if they need research assistance or try to intern at a marine science lab or aquarium.
What is your favorite ocean organism?
I really like loggerhead sea turtles because I had the opportunity to work with them from eggs to hatchlings to full grown and mature turtles! Seeing a day time nester dig and lay her eggs was one of the coolest things I’ve witnessed as well as watching a nest full of baby sea turtles hatch and emerge. But I also love barracudas, spiny lobsters, and corals!
Want to learn more about Caroline?