É«ÇéÂÛ̳

With state-of-the-art facilities on the shores of Narragansett Bay, expert faculty leading cutting-edge research, and plenty of opportunities for hands-on learning in the classroom and out in the field, the Marine Biology program at É«ÇéÂÛ̳ has been making waves since its founding in 1974. For the past five decades, the program has grown from a full-time faculty of four to 18 leading faculty experts, with expanded curricular and research opportunities for undergraduate students. Here, Brian Wysor, Interim Dean of the Feinstein School of Social & Natural Sciences and former longtime Marine Biology chair, discusses the program’s 50-year evolution and what makes it a splashing success.

How has the Marine Biology program evolved over the past 50 years?

BW: From the start, the program has always emphasized experiential education and project-based learning, getting students out into the field. Over the years, the number of opportunities for research has greatly expanded. Traditionally, Marine Biology students studied just organisms, but as we have evolved the curriculum, we have incorporated topics like fisheries, aquaculture, resource management, and molecular biology, allowing us to address questions about biodiversity, ecology, and environmental contamination. Introducing aquaculture and aquarium science created opportunities to think more about conservation biology, and as we look to solutions related to the Blue Economy, we’ve begun interdisciplinary partnerships with other schools at RWU. We’ve also taken advantage of our waterfront location to expand our operations in quite meaningful ways for both shellfish aquaculture and getting our students out on the water for research.

What opportunities do Marine Biology students have to engage with research?

BW: Our students are introduced to authentic research and data analysis in their first semester. With the amount and variety of research led by our expert faculty, there is ample opportunity for students to be involved – including the summer or a study abroad excursion. We have 20 to 30 students per semester engaged in faculty-mentored research and most get several semesters of experience. Older students have the opportunity to build their expertise by training newer students in the lab; it’s so impressive when a student presents at a conference without their advisor and returns with an award. Our students soar in their fields after RWU because of the training and opportunities they have here.

How does É«ÇéÂÛ̳ strategic oceanfront location contribute to Marine Biology research?

BW: Studying Marine Biology in the Ocean State is a no-brainer. The ocean is our lab. We have state-of-the-art facilities and equipment that allow us to launch research right from our campus. Students have access to the Wet Lab, the Aquatic Diagnostic Laboratory (ADL), the Microbial Biotechnology Laboratory, the Luther H. Blount Shellfish Hatchery, and É«ÇéÂÛ̳ own aquaculture farm on campus, where we grow our own FerryCliffe oysters, quahogs, and more. Our waterfront campus is a field research station, with a Learning Platform right on Narragansett Bay, as well as an experiential learning and research vessel outfitted with advanced marine research equipment. Soon we’ll have a histology lab (microanatomy microscopy) as well. All of these spaces provide transformational real-world learning opportunities that define our program. Students can walk out the door, collect specimens, and bring them back into the lab to study. One of the best responses I hear from my students is that they feel like scientists.

What’s next for the Marine Biology program?

BW: We will continue to grow our research capacity and curriculum, with new opportunities for addressing important global issues such as climate change, overfishing, and sustainability. The Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) and the ADL are particularly positioned to make major contributions in the aquaculture industry, specifically in disease mitigation and microbial product development. The program is poised to engage in more interdisciplinary research by partnering with other schools and programs – particularly Business, Engineering, and Food Science – to problem-solve these critical issues. In addition, we are developing new programs in collaboration with to launch a new undergraduate certificate and graduate program in Aquarium Science for the 2025 academic year.

Graduate Utilize Their Degrees

RWU Marine Biology graduates utilixe their degrees across a wide range of opportunities, including: 

Careers

• Research fisheries biologist at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Animal trainer at the New EnglandAquarium
• Microbiology researcher at Smithsonian Marine Station
• Research technician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Restoration technician at Coral World Ocean and Reef Initiative
• Scientist at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Research technician at Woods HoleOceanographic Institution
• President and founder of Sipson Island Trust, Inc.
• Senior research associate at Brown University
• Assistant professor at University of Calgary

Graduate and Doctoral Programs

• Ph.D. in human pathobiology at Brown  University
• Ph.D. in coral immunology at Texas State  University
• Ph.D. in coral microbiology at Florida  Atlantic University
• California Institute of Technology
• Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• University of Maryland
• Sonoma State University

Faculty Expertise

From Astrangia poculata to zooplankton, our Marine Biology faculty are world-class experts in a diversity of areas. 

A marine ecologist, Sean Colin studies how the morphology of zooplankton - mostly jellyfish and comb jellies - affects how they function and ultimately how that contributes to their role in the ecosystem. 

Robert Holmberg ’12 researches the effects of climate change, including ocean acidification and warming, on larval bivalve survival and physiology. He trains students in shellfish aquaculture and hatchery techniques. 

Marcie Marston investigates the ecology, genetics, and evolution of cyanophages - viruses that infect and subsequently kill unicellular photosynthetic cyanobacteria‚ in Narragansett Bay and explores the mechanisms by which cyanobacteria can become resistant to viral infection. 

Studying the temperate coral Astrangia poculata, Koty Sharp explores the response of the coral microbiome to environmental disturbances, the impact of microplastics pollution on animal microbiomes, factors that regulate and organize animal microbiome stability and resilience, and more.

A trained fisheries ecologist, David Taylor studies anthropogenic effects on marine and estuarine ecosystems, investigating the presence and effects of persistent and emerging contaminants in both commercial and recreational fisheries, specifically addressing toxins such as mercury and PFAS. 

Paul Webb’s expertise lies in the behavioral and physiological ecology of marine vertebrates, especially marine mammals, including population studies and behavioral observations of local harbor seals. 

Brian Wysor’s focus is on the species richness of seaweed in both Panama  and Rhode Island, establishing inventories to evaluate whether the distribution of species is changing over time as a result of human disturbances such as global climate change, human-assisted transport, pollution and habitat destruction.