participating in the annual summer Bermuda Programme at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research (BBSR).

Under the Programme, four or five chosen students work under BBSR faculty members for eight weeks, experiencing first-hand what it takes to work in a world-class research facility.

Bermuda Programme students are sponsored by Appleby, Spurling & Kempe, the Bermuda Junior Service League, the Chris Collier Memorial Scholarship Fund, Johnson and Higgins and The Moore Company.

Recipients of this year's awards were Kevin Alban (St. Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia), Sheldon Holder (Oakwood College, Alabama), Lisa Kitson (University of Manchester, England), and Jennifer Perinchief, (University of Plymouth, England).

Ms Perinchief worked in the Caribbean Coastal Marine Productivity Program (CARICOMP) section of BBSR's Benthic Ecology Research Program (BERP) lab under Dr. Robbie Smith, a 1977 Bermuda Programme student who has since earned his doctorate in ecology and returned to BBSR as a coral reef ecologist.

Ms Perinchief catalogued over 3,000 different worms endemic to Bermuda's waters. This database will be extremely useful in future marine studies.

Mr. Alban also assisted Dr. Smith in the CARICOMP studies. "We have chosen specific areas in Bermuda's marine habitat and we monitor them on a continual basis,'' said Mr. Alban. "Our areas of concentration include the mangroves, reefs and sea grass beds.'' Additional research by Mr. Alban and the BERP lab included studying the effects of the Tynes Bay Incinerator on the marine habitat.

Ms Kitson worked in the Marine Biology and Invertebrate Systematics lab under Dr. Hank Trapido-Rosenthal. "I am doing DNA sequencing of the 18S ribosome gene of deep sea critters to find if pressure effect the gene sequence,'' said Ms Kitson.

The manual process used to sequence a small amount of DNA can take weeks.

Sheldon Holder worked with Drs. Craig Carlson and Debbie Steinberg.

"His work has helped fine-tune the direction of future experiments in our lab,'' said Dr. Carlson. Mr. Holder conducted preliminary experimental work to study the bacterial response to zooplankton excretions. Understanding this small link in the interactions of marine organisms will precede much larger studies.

Although available spaces at BBSR are limited, Dr. Smith emphasised the bright future of the Bermuda Programme.

"Right now acceptance into the programme is a bit competitive, but we really want all interested students to continue to pursue this experience,'' he said.

"Hopefully all the applicants from this year will reapply next year. Our goal is to accommodate every future scientist on this island.'' YOUNG INVESTIGATORS -- Pictured, from left, are students Jennifer Perinchief, Lisa Kitson and Kevin Alban investigating in a Ferry Reach facility lab.