CFRF STUDENT INTERNS
Shane Eckman - Spring 2025
Shane Eckman is a sophomore at the University of Rhode Island. Originally from Havre de Grace, Maryland, he is studying Ocean Engineering and is interested in coastal resilience, acoustics, and offshore renewable energy. During his internship at the CFRF, he will assist in the research and design of underwater cameras to monitor ghost gear in the ocean as part of our study to monitor ghost gear biodiversity.
This internship is supported by Revolution Wind.
Elizabeth Levandoski - Summer 2024
Elizabeth graduated with a B.S. in Marine Science from the University of Connecticut in Spring 2024. She became interested in the connection between people and the marine environment while working as a student lab assistant on a project involving sea scallops at the University of Connecticut—Avery Point. During her internship, she created plain-language, one-page handouts for several CFRF projects and assisted with developing our annual report and other general outreach activities.
This internship is supported by the Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.
Jillian DaSilva - Summer 2024
Jill graduated with a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Rhode Island in Spring 2024. She grew interested in understanding marine environmental physiology in ever-changing conditions while exploring the energy budget of American Lobsters with shell disease in the Narragansett Bay as a research assistant. At CFRF, she worked on the ventless trap surveys, where she enjoyed working collaboratively with fishermen and research biologists while contributing to her community’s interest in and understanding of local wildlife.
This internship was supported by South Fork and Revolution Wind.
Slate Northington - Spring 2024
Slate is an undergraduate student at the University of Rhode Island, pursuing a double-major in Marine Affairs and Economics. She joined CFRF in January 2024 to learn more about commercial fisheries in Rhode Island and the northeast. During the internship, she helped update an economic impact assessment of Rhode Island fisheries and seafood, and supported fisheries monitoring at the South Fork Wind Farm. The internship introduced Slate to many professionals addressing complex fisheries issues in addition to meeting a requirement for her Marine Affairs major.
Sophie Bacas - Summer 2023
Sophie received two B.S. degrees in Marine Affairs and Environmental & Natural Resource Economics from the University of Rhode Island and is studying environmental law at the Elizabeth Haub School of Law in New York. In the summer of 2023, she interned at the CFRF and assisted in administrative tasks and research proposal development.
Maddie Sachs - Summer 2023
Maddie received her B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2022 and completed the Biological and Environmental Sciences M.S. program with a specialization in Ecology and Ecosystem Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. For her master’s, she researched the Atlantic blue crab population and habitat selection in a tidal river in Bristol, RI. She interned with the CFRF throughout the summer of 2023 and helped with the foundation’s crab research portfolio.
This internship was supported by the Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.
Fiona Teevan-Kamhawi - summer and Fall 2023
Fiona graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and completed her Master’s in Chemical Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. For her master’s thesis, she studied the effect of commercial kelp farming in Narragansett Bay on the local marine carbonate system. She joined CFRF in June 2023 and helped with data collection and entry for the Revolution Wind Ventless Trap Survey.
This internship was supported by Revolution Wind.
Sarah ring - summer 2022
Sarah received her B.A in Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2018. After witnessing the record-breaking flooding events in Essex, MA in 2019, she became more interested in how anthropogenic stressors affect the ocean and marine life. She completed a professional master’s degree at the University of Rhode Island in oceanography, focusing on coastal systems. She joined the CFRF for the summer of 2022 to aid in developing the RI Ghost Gear Removal Plan and created a story map in support of a project studying the intrusion of warm, salty water onto the continental shelf. The internship satisfied one of the major requirements for her degree and introduced her to the many experts joining together to tackle the ocean's greatest issues.
This internship was supported by the Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.
Nicholas piscitelli - Summer and Fall 2022
Nick graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a minor in Marine Biology. He completed his Master’s in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology at the University of Connecticut on a project examining growth rates and body condition of blueback herring in the Connecticut River. He joined the CFRF in June 2022 and assisted with data entry for the South Fork Windfarm Fisheries Monitoring Surveys.
This internship was supported by South Fork Wind.
Jessica Ruggieri - summer 2021
Jessica graduated from the University of Rhode Island in December of 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Conservation Biology and Aquaculture and Fisheries Technology. She continued on to complete a Graduate Certificate in Fisheries Science from the University of Rhode Island in August of 2021. During her Graduate Certificate, Jessica joined the CFRF in June 2021 and assisted with the SFWF Gillnet Survey. During the internship, she worked to update the gut content species identification guide. This internship satisfied one of the major requirements for her graduate program and provided her with the at-sea experience she will need for any future career. She also learned the importance of research in collaboration with fishermen.
This internship was supported by the Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment.
Joshua Nooij - summer 2021
Joshua joined the CFRF in May 2021 to work on the bay scallop restoration project. While studying Environmental Science and Policy at Northeastern University in Boston, he gained an interest in habitat restoration, and this project at the CFRF was an excellent opportunity to test his knowledge. He finished his Master’s degree in May 2022 and is now a PhD student at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The internship at CFRF provided him with valuable experience in research and taught him about the value of collaborating with fishermen.
This internship was supported by the Sarah K. de Coizart Article TENTH Perpetual Charitable Trust.