Lake Erie College Senior Plays Tag with Sharks for Marine Research | with Internship

Lake Erie College senior Mae Noble traded her textbooks for tagging gear this summer as she participated in a hands-on marine field research program off the coast of Tarpon Springs, Florida. A Biology major with minors in Chemistry and Applied Undergraduate Research, Noble contributed to the Coastal Marine Education and Research Academy (CMERA), assisting with shark and stingray data collection and launching an independent research project intended for publication.

Noble joined researchers studying elasmobranch species (sharks and rays) in their natural habitat. Her responsibilities included setting and retrieving the capture equipment, including longlines and tangle nets and tagging, measuring, and assessing marine animals such as blacktip, nurse, and Atlantic sharp-nosed sharks, as well as southern and cownose stingrays. She also collected environmental data, gaining experience with field equipment like longlines and Garmin sonar systems.

Noble took her adventure a step further by developing a side research project exploring sex bias in nurse shark capture data. Under the mentorship of Dr. Cara Estes, a faculty member at CMERA’s affiliated marine college, she plans to analyze long-term data to investigate patterns possibly linked to reproductive behavior or habitat-based sexual segregation.

“This internship taught me the value of patience and adaptability,” said Noble. “We worked quickly to minimize animal stress, so a lot of our time was spent waiting. I learned to enjoy those moments and use them to build relationships with my peers and fish for bait!”

Although Noble doesn’t plan to specialize in marine animals as a veterinarian, the experience deepened her passion for conservation and advocacy. She credits Lake Erie College faculty, especially Dr. Tedesco and Dr. Schulman, for helping her cultivate a research-driven mindset. “The encouragement I’ve received has pushed me to turn a fun side project into something that could make a real impact.”

Now back on campus, Noble is continuing her academic journey with an equine neurology research project and preparing applications for veterinary school, where she plans to focus on large animals and equine medicine.