SCCF’s Marine Laboratory is excited to welcome two interns, Eliza Marino and Jane Keafer, for the 2026 summer sampling season. Through a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Jane and Eliza are getting hands-on field and lab experience.

They are assisting with an ongoing EPA-funded project to study the interaction of seagrass and macroalgae in Matlacha Pass. Jane and Eliza come to the Marine Lab with diverse education and research backgrounds; learn a bit about them below!

Eliza Marino, Marine Laboratory Intern

Eliza is a recent alum of Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), graduating in December with a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and a minor in Biology. During her undergraduate career, she worked in FGCU’s Ecophysiology Laboratory on a variety of projects, including animal husbandry, sediment core sorting, and plankton sampling.

Through a Water School Undergraduate Research Assistantship Scholarship, Eliza had the chance to work alongside SCCF Marine Lab staff in 2025 on oyster life history studies. She used data collected during this project to present at FGCU’s Symposium of Undergraduate Research and Internships (SURI).

“I am grateful for the opportunity to grow as a researcher and learn from fellow scientists,” said Eliza.

Jane Keafer, Marine Laboratory Intern

Initially from Indianapolis, Indiana, Jane is a rising senior at Northeastern University studying Environmental Engineering. In the past, Jane has participated in internships concerning local Indianapolis green space restoration projects, environmental consulting, urban land management, and geochemical climate dating.

As an environmental engineer, she hopes to apply this broad range of knowledge to developing future engineered solutions focused on maintaining the health of natural ecosystems.

“I grew up coming to Sanibel for family holidays,” said Jane. “I wanted to get involved with SCCF to understand more about how changes in the environment have been impacting the island.”

Learn more about SCCF’s Marine Lab >>>