Collaborative versus independent research: Lessons from my NOAA internship

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Hi, I’m Kennedy McGrath, and this summer, I studied oyster restoration and aquaculture in NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center Milford Lab. Though this was my first experience researching this topic at NOAA Fisheries, I have also studied oyster aquaculture during undergraduate both at University of New Hampshire and at New Hampshire Sea Grant.
Kennedy crouches down in shallow water, her feet protected from the muddy creek bed by waders. She is securing mesh bags filled with oyster shells to stakes, which are anchored to a muddy area with abundant aquatic vegetation, suggesting that it is under water most of the time.

Kennedy McGrath, a Hollings scholar, deploying oyster spat bags at Ash Creek in Fairfield, Connecticut, during her 2024 summer internship. Later, she will measure oyster survival and growth. (Image credit: Katherine McFarland)

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Every experience has been valuable by connecting me to new people and exposing me to new information, but I noticed some differences between independent academic research and collaborative applied research when it comes to their goals with shellfish research. 

I have been involved in three projects, one of which falls under the work of a Ph.D. student and two of which are collaborative team efforts associated with NOAA.

  • Research at University of New Hampshire with a Ph.D. student: I researched microplastic occurrence and abundance in water, oysters, fish, and green crabs from Great Bay estuary. 
  • Collaborative research at New Hampshire Sea Grant, one of NOAA’s Sea Grant programs: I worked on finding ways to expand oyster aquaculture in Great Bay by conducting a growth experiment and working on multiple farms.
  • Collaborative research with NOAA Fisheries: During my Hollings internship, I studied factors affecting juvenile oyster growth and siting new aquaculture leases in Long Island Sound.
Kennedy wears waders and is standing in water up to her knees. In one hand she holds an oyster and the other rests on a plastic bin holding more oysters that is floating in front of her.
Kennedy helped plant oysters on eelgrass restoration plots in Great Bay estuary during her work with New Hampshire Sea Grant in 2023, the summer before her Hollings internship. (Image credit: Alexa Newton)
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Differences between my experiences in independent academic research and NOAA-affiliated collaborative research

Overall, both academic and applied research produce good science that can be cited for policy changes, environmental regulations, and industry standards.

Both of the NOAA-affiliated projects have strong industry ties with the goal to solve a problem presented by the industry using science. Conversely, the goal of the independent academic research is to contribute to the literature, which helps fill gaps in knowledge, guide future research, and push the field forward.

The delegation of the workload was another thing I noticed about the NOAA-affiliated work. Being part of a larger, established team made the work efficient. The team had previously fine-tuned protocols and they had more people to do the work, whereas my work with the Ph.D. student was more limited because I was one of the only people assisting with that project. 

Both applied and academic experiences have given me a strong foundation on which to continue working in the aquaculture space. While I am still passionate about microplastics and marine debris, I appreciate that the research questions for applied work are often sourced directly from industry or community partners. I think I’m best suited for working directly with shellfish farmers and using my talents to help make their operations more efficient using science.

A headshot of Kennedy McGrath.

Kennedy McGrath, 2023 Hollings scholar

Kennedy is a class of 2023 Hollings scholar and a Marine Biology major at the University of New Hampshire.

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