Duration of Internship: January – April 2025

Qualifications
B.Sc. Marine Biology and Oceanography, University of Plymouth, (2023 – 2027)

Millie completed a 3-month internship at MERLab, contributing to a wide range of projects and gaining experience across many aspects of marine work including fieldwork, marine research and public outreach. In particular, she supported the Marine Litter Monitoring Programme where she aided in conducting beach cleans around the coast of Cyprus, sorting the collected rubbish and inputting the data. She also analysed ROV footage for the Seawave and Mesophos projects and identified turtle species from drone footage, enhancing her species identification skills.

Furthermore, Millie contributed to public outreach and engagement by creating materials for the Dive Reporter app as part of the Climarest project, and by delivering a presentation on the ecological importance of Posidonia oceanica in a school in Cyprus as part of the Respocy project. Additional responsibilities included algae photoquadrat analysis, benthic macrofauna sorting, and undertaking scientific writing and literature reviews for a section of an Environmental Baseline Survey. Throughout the internship she developed strong skills in science communication, species identification and general marine research.

“I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work on a variety of different aspects of marine work, from being out in the field to researching underwater seamounts and learning about all of the marine species in Cyprus. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to work in both research and consultancy settings, and I know that my confidence and knowledge as a marine scientist have grown considerably throughout my time here. I am especially grateful for everything the team at MER has done to make my experience so rewarding and memorable.”

Contact: millieburgess13@gmail.com