La Salle Student Madeline Wedge Studying Marine Life and Life in Maryland While Doing Research at the Chesapeake Bay

At the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons, Md., Madeline Wedge will have two goals: "To help me with my career goals and to explore and enjoy the town of Solomons," said Wedge, who recently completed her junior year at La Salle University.

She is spending the summer there, doing research centered on analyzing the diets of elasmobranchii: "This means that I'm dissecting stomachs from several ray, skate and shark species," said Wedge. Most of the species she studies are found off the Maryland coast near the shore lines. Scientists study the contents of the stomachs to determine if they're eating fishes caught by fishermen and sold to markets, so there is an economic factor involved.

Wedge's internship is provided by the Maryland Sea Grant program, a collaboration of Maryland colleges and research centers that studies the Chesapeake Bay. She applied for the position to learn more about professional research, as well as marine biology. She hopes this experience will help her determine if this is the field she wants to pursue. For that reason, she said she was excited to get the position.

Last fall, Wedge took a biology course in Field Ecology, taught by Dr. Norbert Belzer, chair of the department.

"Madeline is a great student, and it was a pleasure to work with her in the Field Ecology course," said Belzer. "She is conscientious, observant, and intuitive. Madeline has a great interest in ecology and environmental science, especially the marine aspects. I was really happy that she got the opportunity to do research this summer on the Chesapeake. She will be working with a high caliber group of students and faculty. I know that not only will she learn much but she will also contribute much to the group's activities."

A resident of Neenah, Wis., Wedge is a member of Phi Alpha Beta (the biology honor society) and is President of Explorers for Life at the University. She chose to attend La Salle because of the scholarships she was offered, being in a city like Philadelphia, and the strength of La Salle's biology program. It is her hope to attend graduate school after graduating in May next year.

--- Jennifer McShane