It’s been cool that I’ve been able to build my own opportunities. Bridgewater provides the resources to set yourself up for success.
Olivia Quintin, ’26, is fascinated by coral. To explore her passion further, she forged a research partnership between BSU and one of the world’s most prestigious oceanographic research institutions.
Eager to chart her own path, Olivia contacted the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution about an internship. The biology major landed the position with key financial support from Bridgewater State.
“It’s been cool that I’ve been able to build my own opportunities,” said Olivia, who is from Fairhaven and is minoring in biochemistry. “Bridgewater provides the resources to set yourself up for success.”
For her WHOI internship, which BSU’s Bartlett Internship Program funded, Olivia analyzed 1,600 photos of coral living on ships and airplanes that sank near Palau in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. She helped WHOI biologist Dr. Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser compare corals on the shipwrecks’ man-made surfaces with those on natural reef structures.
Their work showed unique communities of coral based on the composition of the wrecks – such as steel or aluminum – and the horizontal or vertical orientation of wreck surfaces.
As her internship wrapped up, Olivia approached Meyer-Kaiser about pursuing an honors thesis. During a meeting with BSU biological sciences professor Caitlin Fisher-Reid, the trio decided to search for a more cost effective and efficient way to genetically identify corals. Olivia is working to sequence a specific portion of a genome rather than the entire genome, a process that would facilitate identifying coral that can best withstand the effects of climate change.
That’s important because coral plays a critical role in ocean biodiversity, partly by forming physical reefs that provide habitat for fish and other marine life.
“There’s something special about coral itself,” Olivia said. “It is so essential in maintaining marine ecosystems.”
Olivia’s thesis blends her knack for hands-on lab work with Meyer-Kaiser's expertise in coral and Dr. Fisher-Reid's knowledge of genetics. It is unique to find this perfect blend of expertise, said Meyer-Kaiser.
Fisher-Reid and Meyer-Kaiser are impressed by Olivia’s research skills and motivation.
“She has really solid lab skills from her work with Caitlin,” Meyer-Kaiser said. “I also want her to take away the process of thinking like a scientist and being able to identify a problem and see a way to address it and then go for it. She has really embraced that.”
Meyer-Kaiser also praised the availability of BSU funds, which made this experience possible amid federal cutbacks in science funding.
“It’s really easy to encourage my students to seek out these opportunities because I know that BSU will support them when they get them,” added Fisher-Reid.
For Olivia, receiving funding through BSU helped create a meaningful college experience that provides the foundation for a career in research.
“It was really nice to know I could pursue my academic interest while supporting myself financially,” she said. “It was really motivating.”
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