As a first-generation college student Berlinda Batista is blazing new trails. Born and raised in Boston, she is the first in her family of four sisters and three brothers to attend college, and the first to pursue a career in the sciences. A senior majoring in mathematics with a minor in actuarial science, Ms. Batista plans to graduate in the spring of 2016 and explore career possibilities.
This past summer those possibilities became more realistic when Ms. Batista spent the summer participating in the Woods Hole Partnership Education Program (PEP).
A ten-week internship program designed to promote diversity in the scientific community, PEP provides undergraduates from underrepresented minority groups with practical research experience in marine and earth sciences at the six major science institutions in the village of Woods Hole. To participate in PEP, students must enroll in a month-long course and complete a research project for which they receive college credit. More than 100 students from 68 colleges and universities have participated in the program since it began in 2009.
Batista heard about the program from Dr. Anna Martin-Jearld in BSU’s Social Work Department. Martin-Jearld’s husband, Dr. Ambrose Jearld, works at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, as the PEP director. It was Ms. Batista’s first internship, and it has changed her plans for the future.
“I had the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone, challenge myself, explore, and meet new people,” she said. “I’ve always been inspired to demonstrate the beauty of mathematics. I enjoy the logic associated with the studies of computation, the thought process in problem solving and analyzing data. I seek adventure and investigating uncertainty, which is why I find myself in the mathematics field. Being able to face the challenges that come along with solving problems is what intrigues and motivates me to pursue a mathematics degree.”
While working at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on the research project part of the PEP, Ms. Batista worked with mentor Dr. Anna Michel and her lab partner Solianna Herrera, another PEP intern and recent chemistry graduate of the University of South Florida. The researchers used Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy to observe contaminants found in the sediments of New Bedford Harbor, which was deemed an EPA Superfund site due to environmental contamination. Ms. Batista used her skills in mathematics to create a computer code that could statistically analyze heavy metals found in the sediment sample. Her focus was to model trends of elements found in specific sample locations, with the hope to improving the use of in situ sediment analysis.
“I had little experience with coding, so the project was totally new to me,” Ms. Batista said. “Being able to have hands-on experience doing research was my favorite part of the program. I wanted to apply the skills that I learned in lectures to data where I can view real outcomes, and I’ve been fortunate to finally experience this. It has been exciting to work on research that could be applied to the real world.”
Her PEP experience has changed her plans for the future, inspiring her to travel and explore the world and perhaps apply to a study-abroad program. She plans to attend graduate school to continue her education after investigating other possible internships to help decide on a focus.
Asked to describe her PEP experience in five words, Ms. Batista responded with outstanding, challenging, worthwhile, inspirational and supportive. As to what the summer internship meant to her, that was simple. “It opened my mind to the many opportunities available in the mathematics field.” (Story and photo courtesy of NEFSC/NOAA.)