When a summer project leads to a newfound passion

Internships are a chance to learn, but for Damien Crowley, an internship put him on the path to a potential career as a scientific researcher.

Last summer, Crowley, a junior at Wantagh High School, signed up to be a research intern for Vesta, a public-benefit corporation based in the Hamptons whose mission is to further the science of coastal carbon capture, to help reduce carbon emissions. Crowley’s internship took place at the North Sea Beach Colony in Southampton, on Peconic Bay, where he worked with other students and scientists, conducting field research and collecting data. For Crowley and his colleagues, it turned out to be a memorable experience.

“We were having fun doing work and being able to talk about the work in an interesting way,” he said, “because we were all so invested in it.”

The North Sea Beach Colony has sustained coastal erosion in recent years, and Vesta has partnered with the Town of Southampton to help it with a beach restoration project. In July 2022, Vesta helped deploy 500 cubic yards of olivine sand on the coastal edge of the development. Olivine, a naturally occurring silicate mineral, can remove atmospheric carbon dioxide when it is dissolved in water, permanently storing it in the ocean.

Crowley and the other interns were tasked with completing a grain size analysis of the sand on the beach, to enhance their understanding of how sediments move and how wave action works on the beach — in particular, a beach with this unique variety of sand.

“If you know how the olivine is going to move and how it’s going to distribute and how the beach is changing itself, that just improves (Vesta’s) overall understanding for the rest of their studies that they have going on,” Crowley explained.

The interns worked with senior research scientists, and Crowley is currently writing a research paper about the experience, with the goal of getting it published. He said he hoped to apply to take part in the New York State Science and Engineering Fair and the Long Island Science Conference in the spring.

Crowley said he was glad he got involved in the project, because now he not only can enter competitions with his research, but has also developed a keen interest in sedimentology. Before he began the internship, he wasn’t fully aware of the research being done by Vesta, but he knew it focused on environmentalism, which he has long been interested in. Learning about sediments and how olivine can help the environment, he said, was fun as well.

“I just became more and more understanding of the situation,” he said of the challenge of removing carbon from the atmosphere, “and that allowed me to almost have fun with it, because I could design it the way I wanted, and we could collect in a way that made sense.”

Crowley says his interest in preserving the environment grew gradually over the years. He always liked animals, and at one time thought of being a veterinarian or conducting ecological research with animals. Eventually he became more focused on environmentalism, and said he doesn’t like to see people harm the environment by doing things like littering.

At Wantagh High, he has focused on environmental courses such as AP biology, which he says has been challenging but rewarding. For Crowley, it’s important to be fully committed to courses that interest you, especially if they’re difficult.

“If you’re not mentally invested, you’re not going to be able to get through those tough times,” he said.

Crowley says that his internship sparked his interest in pursuing a career in research, whether environmental or ecological. Working with other researchers at Vesta, he said, influenced him as well.

“If you have a niche subject that you’re really interested in, you’re really passionate about, just roll with it,” Crowley said. “You can make that your thing. And if you put effort into it and put your passion to it, you’re going to find success with it, no matter what the niche is.”