By Abby Reiner ’27
This past summer, I interned under John Langan in the Ocean Technology Department at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida. Mote is an independent, nonprofit research organization, and the Ocean Technology Department aims to develop technologies to meet interdisciplinary research needs both within and beyond Mote. I spent the bulk of my time assisting with the maintenance and preparation of the lab’s Slocum glider fleet as well as the development of an underwater tracking device for the gliders.
Once deployed, these buoyancy-driven, underwater gliders (roughly 6 feet long and 130 pounds) are fully autonomous. Ocean Tech sends its gliders on month-long missions to gather and transmit data on water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll levels in near real time. To get from waypoint to waypoint, the gliders propel themselves forward only by inflating and deflating their air bladders, making the gliders very energy efficient.
I’ve had a longstanding interest in marine and environmental science. Interning at Mote provided me hands-on exposure to the world of ocean engineering and the various challenges of integrating lasting technology in saltwater. I learned a ton about electronics, corrosion, and underwater acoustic communication, in addition to the daily operations of a research laboratory. My time at Mote sparked a new interest in engineering, which I look forward to exploring further when I return to campus this fall. Additionally, this experience confirmed my passion for environment stewardship and conservation.
I would absolutely encourage others to pursue a Mote internship. The breadth of departments makes for an incredible opportunity to explore areas of interest outside of any intern’s formal assignment. If I were to do it over again, I would reach out to other departments earlier in the summer- all of the researchers were always excited to share their work! Other highlights of the summer included the incredible marine biodiversity of the coast, spending time with other Mote interns and researchers, and watching the sunset over the Gulf each night.
