Student Profile: Rowena Eng

SoMAS undergraduate student Rowena Eng

Rowena Eng spent 10 weeks over the summer as an intern at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota Florida where she studied the swimming behavior of sharks under the mentorship of Dr. Nick Whitney. Rowena had received the Mote Marine Lab Scholarship for summer 2010.

As an undergraduate student at Stony Brook University, Rowena—a Marine Sciences major– worked in Demian Chapman’s lab, studying shark genetics.

“I had only worked with the DNA of various elasmobranch species but never directly with live specimens,” Rowena said. “ The internship gave me an opportunity to work with live sharks and to become familiar with other aspects of shark biology.”

Rowena’s summer research used accelerometry to study fine-scale changes in the swimming behavior of nurse sharks. Accelerometers are motion sensors that detect changes in speed on three axes, and are commonly used in gadgets such as digital cameras and iPods to detect when the device is tilted in order to change the orientation of the screen. With the aid of software programs, accelerometers are useful for recording the movements of animals and describing their behavior.  Rowena placed accelerometers on the dorsal fins of captive nurse sharks to record their movements for a period of 4.5 days. The acceleration data retrieved from the tags was then downloaded onto software programs (IGOR Pro and Ethographer) for analysis. Rowena examined questions such as the amount of time a shark spent swimming during the daytime versus the nighttime; the tailbeat frequency of a shark descending or ascending through the water column; and differences in the tailbeat frequency of swimming mature and juvenile sharks.

“It was an enjoyable experience to learn from my own mentor as well as other interns and scientists at the Mote Marine Lab,” said Rowena. “Aside from my own research, I also participated in other activities such as designing more efficient tag packages, marine aerial surveys, and collecting juvenile sharks in the field for other undergoing research at the Mote Marine Lab. “

Rowena explained that her experience at Mote taught her more than just academics. “I learned vital skills to help me become more prepared for graduate school, such as thinking critically, exploring questions, being more organized, and becoming more observant of details,” she said. “I would recommend an internship at the Mote Marine Lab to anyone interested in the marine sciences or a field in biology.”