FHL Remote Research: Pacu Edition! (June 2020)
Participating in undergraduate research is has been one of my favorite experiences during my time as an undergrad. Whether it involves collecting samples from the intertidal, assisting with rodent neurosurgeries, or just being in a lab, I love every second of it. When I heard that UW was shutting down campus for the spring, it was hard to imagine a quarter without research being a part of it.
I received an email that two FHL professors were supervising undergrads on independent research projects, and I decided to apply on a whim. I knew next to nothing about fish, but I was excited about the potential opportunity to learn about them. Looking back, I am so happy that I decided to take on this project. The remote format of this research experience challenged me to learn how to use many new kinds of software, and the symposium presentation was the perfect opportunity to learn how to design captivating figures and work on my public speaking skills. I have grown more as a scientist in these past ten weeks than I ever have before, and I am thankful for the mentorship and support from FHL researchers and administrators that I have received. After I gave my symposium presentation, I felt a sense of relief that it was over, but then I realized that I wasn't ready for it to be over yet; there was so much more I wanted to do to make this project better. Thankfully, I will have to opportunity to do just that! Over the summer, I will be collecting more data on pacus to test more functional predictions, and I am excited to see what the data reveals about these hardcore herbivores. |
Biol 434: Peer Facilitation (Feb 2020)
The marine invertebrate zoology course that I took at FHL was my favorite course of my undergrad, and I missed learning about invertebrates in the fall when I returned to UW’s main campus. Luckily, I have had the opportunity to be a peer teaching assistant for the invertebrate zoology course in the UW Biology department.
As a peer facilitator, I have gained experience working with and caring for invertebrates in the lab. Additionally, I have gained a deeper understanding of the material through assisting other students in the learning process.
This is my first time being on the other side of the teaching process, and this has made me feel confident that I would enjoy being a professor in addition to being a researcher someday. My favorite part about being a peer teaching assistant is watching people go from feeling apathetic about invertebrates to genuinely caring about their ecological importance, physiology, and diversity.
As a peer facilitator, I have gained experience working with and caring for invertebrates in the lab. Additionally, I have gained a deeper understanding of the material through assisting other students in the learning process.
This is my first time being on the other side of the teaching process, and this has made me feel confident that I would enjoy being a professor in addition to being a researcher someday. My favorite part about being a peer teaching assistant is watching people go from feeling apathetic about invertebrates to genuinely caring about their ecological importance, physiology, and diversity.
College of the Environment Ambassador Reflection (Jan 2020)
I have always been fascinated by the ways that everyone’s mind seems to work differently, and my time at college has allowed me to find the strengths that come with the strange way that my brain seems to work. I tend to get laser-focused on things that I find interesting, and when I find something interesting, I get very excited about it.
For the past few years, I have found myself thinking about and telling people about my marine biology coursework and projects all of the time. My advisor suggested that I apply to be the marine biology ambassador for the College of the Environment, and this has been the perfect outlet for me to talk to people about marine biology who are actually interested.
I enjoy being a leader in my college and talking to my fellow students about what inspires them to study the marine environment. I feel proud to be a representative of a college that has provided me many opportunities to explore my passions. The faculty and peers I have met in this college have been supportive of my goals and have shown me what steps I need to take to make them a reality. After receiving so much guidance from this program, I feel like the least I can do is be a point of contact for high school students who have many of the same questions that I did before starting my undergraduate studies.
For the past few years, I have found myself thinking about and telling people about my marine biology coursework and projects all of the time. My advisor suggested that I apply to be the marine biology ambassador for the College of the Environment, and this has been the perfect outlet for me to talk to people about marine biology who are actually interested.
I enjoy being a leader in my college and talking to my fellow students about what inspires them to study the marine environment. I feel proud to be a representative of a college that has provided me many opportunities to explore my passions. The faculty and peers I have met in this college have been supportive of my goals and have shown me what steps I need to take to make them a reality. After receiving so much guidance from this program, I feel like the least I can do is be a point of contact for high school students who have many of the same questions that I did before starting my undergraduate studies.
Costa Rica Reflection (Sept 2019)
I recently returned from the Honors Study Abroad program in Costa Rica. This experience was beyond life changing and it changed the way I see the world around me, both literally and figuratively. Literally, because I left behind my favorite sunglasses in my hotel room, and figuratively for so many reasons. This trip taught me to live every day as if it is my last and to appreciate every second that I have on this planet. I am so grateful to have been able to learn about the world from professors who have made such a large impact on it. I am thankful to have to have been taught by professors who treat teaching as their passion, and this creates a learning environment that extends far deeper than what I experience in a traditional lecture. As an aspiring biologist, researcher, and professor, I understand the excitement that comes with sharing knowledge with others, and this inspired me to work my hardest to succeed in this course.
This program ignited a desire in me to strive to do more. I was in the tropical rainforest as thousands of hectares of primary forest were burned down in Brazil. I was able to experience sustainable farming practices and learn about the mass destruction that large scale dairy and beef farming are causing to our planet. I spoke to farmers who may not be able to continue farming their land because climate change is causing the land to become hotter and drier than it has ever been before. I am scared because I now understand how fine the tipping point that our world rests upon is, and it is up to my generation to make the planet hospitable for the next generation.
Our final assignment in this class was to draft a proposal of how we would spend ten million dollar grant in order to help the people in Costa Rica. My proposal addressed the increased need to irrigation for cattle farmers in the Northwest province of Costa Rica, which is being strongly affected by climate change. On the last day of the course, my classmates and I presented out proposals to the locals. This assignment gave me hope for the future. A large portion of studying marine biology and environmental science as a whole is science communication because it is critical to know the most effective ways to convince people to care about environmental issues. I found it comforting to be surrounded by a room of people who care about climate change and sustainable practices and also want to strive to be better. I have attached my grant proposal here. I plan to carry the passion for sustainability that I gained from this course with me through all of my future endeavors in order to make this world a better place.
This course also lead me to think about my purpose on this planet and what exactly my role is in the ecosystem I am a part of because, after all, everything in nature has a niche and a purpose. I think that my purpose is to learn as much as I can about the world (specifically the ocean and invertebrates) and pass this knowledge onto others. If I can help leave the world in a better condition than it was when I found it, I will be happy.
This program ignited a desire in me to strive to do more. I was in the tropical rainforest as thousands of hectares of primary forest were burned down in Brazil. I was able to experience sustainable farming practices and learn about the mass destruction that large scale dairy and beef farming are causing to our planet. I spoke to farmers who may not be able to continue farming their land because climate change is causing the land to become hotter and drier than it has ever been before. I am scared because I now understand how fine the tipping point that our world rests upon is, and it is up to my generation to make the planet hospitable for the next generation.
Our final assignment in this class was to draft a proposal of how we would spend ten million dollar grant in order to help the people in Costa Rica. My proposal addressed the increased need to irrigation for cattle farmers in the Northwest province of Costa Rica, which is being strongly affected by climate change. On the last day of the course, my classmates and I presented out proposals to the locals. This assignment gave me hope for the future. A large portion of studying marine biology and environmental science as a whole is science communication because it is critical to know the most effective ways to convince people to care about environmental issues. I found it comforting to be surrounded by a room of people who care about climate change and sustainable practices and also want to strive to be better. I have attached my grant proposal here. I plan to carry the passion for sustainability that I gained from this course with me through all of my future endeavors in order to make this world a better place.
This course also lead me to think about my purpose on this planet and what exactly my role is in the ecosystem I am a part of because, after all, everything in nature has a niche and a purpose. I think that my purpose is to learn as much as I can about the world (specifically the ocean and invertebrates) and pass this knowledge onto others. If I can help leave the world in a better condition than it was when I found it, I will be happy.
Friday Harbor Reflections: Year 2 (August 2019)
I have just returned from my second summer at FHL, and I am not exaggerating when I say that it was the best five weeks of my life. Sophomore year at UW was quite challenging for me because my coursework became quite fast-paced, and I was taking on a lot of extracurricular activities. I arrived at FHL only three days after I took my last final. I was exhausted and wondered if maybe I should have taken a break from school to have a laid back summer like all of my friends.
However, once my class started, I realized that this course was exactly the breath of fresh air that I needed.
I quickly became immersed in my coursework, and I had the feeling that I had found what I had been searching for the past few years. When I came to UW, I wanted to be a doctor. About halfway through my freshman year, I realized that this felt wrong because I was more passionate about studying animals than people. This realization led me down a pre-vet path, and a course on marine mammalogy that I took at FHL last summer cemented my desire to work with animals in a marine environment. I spent my sophomore year completing my general STEM classes, and I took some more in-depth classes on marine biology. Marine invertebrates began to catch my attention more than mammals, and I was excited to take marine invertebrate zoology at FHL.
On the first day of class this summer, I realized that I had found my passion. I was learning faster than I ever had before because I was so curious about each animal that was introduced in class. I love the breadth of this field; 97% of described animal species on earth are invertebrates, and the diversity I observed on the San Juan islands is astounding. There are so many paths that one can take in order to research marine invertebrates; the vast majority of species of marine invertebrates are believed to remain undiscovered. Additionally, marine invertebrates can live almost anywhere in the ocean, including inside other organisms as parasites, which I find fascinating.
I woke up every day during this course feeling excited for what was to come. I had a fantastic time going on field trips around the San Juan islands to collect invertebrates. My classmates have become some of my best friends, and they made this course fun both inside and outside of the classroom. I am highly interested in nudibranchs, and I am looking for a research opportunity to continue to study them on a deeper level.
On my last day at FHL, I felt upset that the course had come to an end and that I had to leave the San Juan Islands. It felt like time had moved quite fast these past five weeks, and I wanted everything to slow down. On my ferry home the next morning, I realized the importance of the emotions that I was feeling; everything in me was telling me that I had found my calling. This experience helped me make sense of everything that I have been struggling with before, and everything was finally in order in my mind. I feel more driven than I ever have before. I know that I will work as hard as possible so that I can get into a top graduate program to become a marine biologist someday.
I find the work of marine biologists inspiring because they are not in it for the money, there is very little of it in this field. People become marine biologists because it will lead to an exciting life and research that has meaningful impacts. I have taken every undergrad class at FHL, but I have rearranged my schedule so that I can return to FHL next summer and spring quarter of my senior year. I am thankful to have found a place that inspires me as much as FHL does, and I cannot wait to return as soon as possible.
However, once my class started, I realized that this course was exactly the breath of fresh air that I needed.
I quickly became immersed in my coursework, and I had the feeling that I had found what I had been searching for the past few years. When I came to UW, I wanted to be a doctor. About halfway through my freshman year, I realized that this felt wrong because I was more passionate about studying animals than people. This realization led me down a pre-vet path, and a course on marine mammalogy that I took at FHL last summer cemented my desire to work with animals in a marine environment. I spent my sophomore year completing my general STEM classes, and I took some more in-depth classes on marine biology. Marine invertebrates began to catch my attention more than mammals, and I was excited to take marine invertebrate zoology at FHL.
On the first day of class this summer, I realized that I had found my passion. I was learning faster than I ever had before because I was so curious about each animal that was introduced in class. I love the breadth of this field; 97% of described animal species on earth are invertebrates, and the diversity I observed on the San Juan islands is astounding. There are so many paths that one can take in order to research marine invertebrates; the vast majority of species of marine invertebrates are believed to remain undiscovered. Additionally, marine invertebrates can live almost anywhere in the ocean, including inside other organisms as parasites, which I find fascinating.
I woke up every day during this course feeling excited for what was to come. I had a fantastic time going on field trips around the San Juan islands to collect invertebrates. My classmates have become some of my best friends, and they made this course fun both inside and outside of the classroom. I am highly interested in nudibranchs, and I am looking for a research opportunity to continue to study them on a deeper level.
On my last day at FHL, I felt upset that the course had come to an end and that I had to leave the San Juan Islands. It felt like time had moved quite fast these past five weeks, and I wanted everything to slow down. On my ferry home the next morning, I realized the importance of the emotions that I was feeling; everything in me was telling me that I had found my calling. This experience helped me make sense of everything that I have been struggling with before, and everything was finally in order in my mind. I feel more driven than I ever have before. I know that I will work as hard as possible so that I can get into a top graduate program to become a marine biologist someday.
I find the work of marine biologists inspiring because they are not in it for the money, there is very little of it in this field. People become marine biologists because it will lead to an exciting life and research that has meaningful impacts. I have taken every undergrad class at FHL, but I have rearranged my schedule so that I can return to FHL next summer and spring quarter of my senior year. I am thankful to have found a place that inspires me as much as FHL does, and I cannot wait to return as soon as possible.
Winter 2019 Reflection (March 2019)
My dad has always told me, that “when it rains good news, it pours,” and this quarter taught me that there is actually some truth behind this saying. This quarter started out on a rough note, and I felt like a lot of things were going wrong in my life that were out of my control. At first, I spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself and being mad at the setbacks that I was facing. But then, I realized that if I was unhappy with the way my life is going, it is entirely up to me to make changes so that I can feel happy again. My time at college was beginning to feel stagnant, and I wanted to seek out some new experiences.
This quarter consisted of dozens of applications, to many different kinds of things. I sent applications to jobs, internships, summer camps seeking counselors, laboratories, and study abroad programs. I was not exactly sure what I was looking for at first, but I knew that I wanted to be challenged by something new that excited me. Initially, I faced a lot of rejection. Interviews did not seem to go as planned, or I was vastly under-qualified for positions that interested me. Initially, this was a blow to my confidence, but then the tide began to turn.
It started with an interview for a lab position at Harborview medical center. I have heard from many of my peers that it is seemingly impossible to find a lab position at a medical center due to incredibly high demand from undergrads; the skills that can be gained from working in a lab at a medical center are invaluable for applying to a graduate program in healthcare. During my initial interview for this position, I was told that there were over thirty applicants who had applied for two spots. Yikes. It honestly did not occur to me that I had any shot at making the cut, so I gave the interview my all and left fully expecting never to be contacted by this lab again. To my surprise, I was contacted again. And again. And finally, a fourth time when I was told that they would like to offer me the position. I’m not going to lie, I freaked out a little bit after receiving this news. Being a scientist has always been my dream, and the thought of getting my own lab coat and micropipette and learning how to perform surgeries that can find out information that is going to change the world makes me so excited.
I also applied to return to Friday Harbor laboratories for five weeks this summer to study marine invertebrate zoology. I had low hopes of being admitted to this course, as last year it heavily consisted of Ph.D. students. However, my recommendations, experience, and personal statement were strong, and to my surprise, I was admitted. I am so thankful for the opportunity to return to the San Juan islands to become immersed in the world of marine biology once again. FHL’s campus is the polar opposite of the busy UW campus, and I enjoy the quiet of the island every once in a while.
Lastly, I am excited to have been accepted to an Honors Study abroad program in Costa Rica for five weeks this summer to study tropical rainforest ecology and conservation. I have not had the chance to fit an honors class into my schedule in over a year, and I genuinely miss the interdisciplinary nature of the courses. I am excited to investigate the intersection between people and the natural world during this time of environmental change, and it will be exciting to make new friends and experience a culture that is so vastly different from my own.
Most importantly, this quarter taught me the importance of believing in myself. All it took was a few applications to drastically change the course of my future. This quarter seemed to be raining good news, not because of chance, but because I finally began to realize what I want from life and began to pursue it to the best of my ability. I learned that I am capable of more than I initially believed that I was. It is apparent that people see something special in me as a student, so maybe it is time that I do as too and continue to fight for what makes me happy.
Below I have attached my applications to my lab position, FHL, and Honors in Costa Rica.
Harborview
FHL
Costa Rica
This quarter consisted of dozens of applications, to many different kinds of things. I sent applications to jobs, internships, summer camps seeking counselors, laboratories, and study abroad programs. I was not exactly sure what I was looking for at first, but I knew that I wanted to be challenged by something new that excited me. Initially, I faced a lot of rejection. Interviews did not seem to go as planned, or I was vastly under-qualified for positions that interested me. Initially, this was a blow to my confidence, but then the tide began to turn.
It started with an interview for a lab position at Harborview medical center. I have heard from many of my peers that it is seemingly impossible to find a lab position at a medical center due to incredibly high demand from undergrads; the skills that can be gained from working in a lab at a medical center are invaluable for applying to a graduate program in healthcare. During my initial interview for this position, I was told that there were over thirty applicants who had applied for two spots. Yikes. It honestly did not occur to me that I had any shot at making the cut, so I gave the interview my all and left fully expecting never to be contacted by this lab again. To my surprise, I was contacted again. And again. And finally, a fourth time when I was told that they would like to offer me the position. I’m not going to lie, I freaked out a little bit after receiving this news. Being a scientist has always been my dream, and the thought of getting my own lab coat and micropipette and learning how to perform surgeries that can find out information that is going to change the world makes me so excited.
I also applied to return to Friday Harbor laboratories for five weeks this summer to study marine invertebrate zoology. I had low hopes of being admitted to this course, as last year it heavily consisted of Ph.D. students. However, my recommendations, experience, and personal statement were strong, and to my surprise, I was admitted. I am so thankful for the opportunity to return to the San Juan islands to become immersed in the world of marine biology once again. FHL’s campus is the polar opposite of the busy UW campus, and I enjoy the quiet of the island every once in a while.
Lastly, I am excited to have been accepted to an Honors Study abroad program in Costa Rica for five weeks this summer to study tropical rainforest ecology and conservation. I have not had the chance to fit an honors class into my schedule in over a year, and I genuinely miss the interdisciplinary nature of the courses. I am excited to investigate the intersection between people and the natural world during this time of environmental change, and it will be exciting to make new friends and experience a culture that is so vastly different from my own.
Most importantly, this quarter taught me the importance of believing in myself. All it took was a few applications to drastically change the course of my future. This quarter seemed to be raining good news, not because of chance, but because I finally began to realize what I want from life and began to pursue it to the best of my ability. I learned that I am capable of more than I initially believed that I was. It is apparent that people see something special in me as a student, so maybe it is time that I do as too and continue to fight for what makes me happy.
Below I have attached my applications to my lab position, FHL, and Honors in Costa Rica.
Harborview
FHL
Costa Rica
COASST: Experiential Learning (March 2019)
This past quarter, I had the opportunity to intern with the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) at the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. COASST is a citizen science program with a goal of inspiring people who care about the environment to collect research during their time at their favorite beaches. “Science” often is talked about as an elite discipline that only the most highly-educated people can contribute to, but COASST allows people from all different careers and educational backgrounds to gain experience as a field researcher. During my time at COASST, my responsibilities included communicating with volunteers, entering data into the database, conducting beach surveys, along with preparing supplies for volunteer trainings and outreach events. This position has been a valuable educational experience because, in the classroom, I am taught science by a scientist so that, one day, I can talk about science to even more scientists. COASST was different because the majority of data-collecting volunteers are not scientists, so I needed to communicate with them differently than I would talk to a fellow student in one of my science classes.
COASST is an impactful organization because it is appealing to people in all different stages of life who have one thing in common: a passion for protecting the health of our planet. With COASST, volunteers can record marine debris and beached birds that they see at a beach of their choice during their visits. Hundreds of COASST volunteers across the West Coast of the USA have been collecting data for years that has helped to understand trends in marine debris distribution and seabird mortality patterns in order to identify the source of these issues. This organization allows volunteers to observe changes first-hand on beaches that they care about, and it tends to be more influential to see a place that you care about change over time rather than reading in the news that beaches are becoming more polluted.
For scientific discoveries to make an impact in the world, it is vital for scientists to be able to convey the importance of their findings to scientists and non-scientists alike. Especially now, at a time when climate change is no longer a potential threat that is looming beyond the horizon, but rather something that is occurring a rate exceeding many of the scientific models and altering the way that many ecosystems function. It is essential for as many citizens as possible to have access to data regarding climate change so that they can make informed decisions about the legislation that should be put in place to protect our environment. COASST provides concerned citizens with a pathway to be a part of a group of people who are fighting for the health of our planet, starting with our country’s coastlines. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to work with staff members and volunteers who are putting in the much-needed effort of keeping our planet in pristine condition. This internship has further ignited my passion for educating the public about the importance of protecting the oceans, and I believe that I became a stronger science communicator thanks to this position.
COASST is an impactful organization because it is appealing to people in all different stages of life who have one thing in common: a passion for protecting the health of our planet. With COASST, volunteers can record marine debris and beached birds that they see at a beach of their choice during their visits. Hundreds of COASST volunteers across the West Coast of the USA have been collecting data for years that has helped to understand trends in marine debris distribution and seabird mortality patterns in order to identify the source of these issues. This organization allows volunteers to observe changes first-hand on beaches that they care about, and it tends to be more influential to see a place that you care about change over time rather than reading in the news that beaches are becoming more polluted.
For scientific discoveries to make an impact in the world, it is vital for scientists to be able to convey the importance of their findings to scientists and non-scientists alike. Especially now, at a time when climate change is no longer a potential threat that is looming beyond the horizon, but rather something that is occurring a rate exceeding many of the scientific models and altering the way that many ecosystems function. It is essential for as many citizens as possible to have access to data regarding climate change so that they can make informed decisions about the legislation that should be put in place to protect our environment. COASST provides concerned citizens with a pathway to be a part of a group of people who are fighting for the health of our planet, starting with our country’s coastlines. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to work with staff members and volunteers who are putting in the much-needed effort of keeping our planet in pristine condition. This internship has further ignited my passion for educating the public about the importance of protecting the oceans, and I believe that I became a stronger science communicator thanks to this position.
Writing like a Scientist (Feb 2019)
This past winter quarter I had the chance to take my first 400-level course at UW: marine arctic vertebrate ecology. An advisor explained to me that this course might be a bit challenging for me at this point in my academic journey, but I absolutely could not pass up the chance to learn about the unique adaptations of animals who thrive in the harsh Arctic conditions from a professor who has been featured in National Geographic for her research. Hesitantly, I registered for this course because I was ready to put in the effort needed to succeed because I found the material extremely interesting.
On the first day of course after reading the syllabus, I realized that it might have been a wise idea to listen to my advisor. My professor explained that instead of a final there would be a project, and it was a research paper that required dozens of sources from peer-reviewed journals. I had never read an article from a peer-reviewed scientific journal before, and I initially found it nearly impossible to comprehend these articles full of complicated graphs and advanced statistics. I felt worried about having to synthesize so much information in order to write this paper. This feeling caused me to consider dropping the course, but I realized that this could be a valuable opportunity to grow as a scientist and it was certainly worth a try.
During lectures for this course, the class was introduced to species of vertebrates who are native to the Arctic circle. One species that caught my attention was the Arctic tern; I found this bird particularly fascinating because each year they migrate from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back, and an individual bird will travel the approximately the same distance as three trips to the moon and back in a lifetime. These birds have the longest migration out of any species on Earth, and they are dependent on resources from each latitude to complete their journeys. For my project, I was interested in analyzing how human-caused climate change has impacted the reproductive success of these birds who serve as bioindicators of the health of our planet. I believe that the information about the changes in the reproductive success and migration patterns of these birds is valuable evidence for arguing from stronger legislation to protect our global environment. If sensitive species such as the Arctic tern are already experiencing population declines due to human activity, it is crucial to act to prevent further degradation of our global environment.
I was excited when I narrowed down what I wanted to study for this project, but I was slightly overwhelmed when searching for a place to start my research. I first used the UW library database to learn the basics about Arctic terns. When I needed more specific information about the oceanographic conditions faced by these birds, I decided to email the Friday Harbor Laboratory librarian. She helped point me in the right direction to many marine science databases that were relevant for my research topic. I divided my research into two major categories: reproductive success and migration of the terns. After collecting information about both of these topics, I analyzed the significance of the trends in the data that I was noticing and stated what actions I believe should be taken to protect this species and others who occupy similar niches.
At first, learning to read scientific journals was like learning another language, and it took a lot of practice. I spent many hours reading through journals while highlighting what I found remarkable, taking notes on my questions, googling hundreds of terms that I did not know the meaning of, and analyzing potential biases in the data collection methods. As the due date for this paper approached, I felt frustrated because my peers in this class were in the final stages of writing their papers while I was still in the process of collecting and interpreting information. My lack of experience interpreting scientific data was causing me to spend a lot of time on this project, but as I worked I was able to retain the information more easily and I began to make it through daunting papers at increasingly faster rates.
After many days that turned into early mornings at Odegaard, my paper was complete. I have honestly never been prouder of a project then I am of this paper. This paper reflects my journey to thinking like a scientist through hard work and altering the way that I collect and analyze information from peer-reviewed journals. I found it rewarding that I can read through articles and retain information much faster and at a deeper level than I could before taking this course. This class has been my favorite course that I have taken in college so far because it was a chance to attempt to solve problems that actual marine biologists are trying to solve as well. There are a lot of times during college when I feel unsure about what kind of job I want to have someday, but this project taught me that I am passionate about marine biological research and it made me feel more confident about the career path that I working towards.
Check out my paper here
Friday Harbor Reflections: Year 1 (August 2018)
I have recently returned from my 10-week experience at Friday Harbor Labs on San Juan Island. During my time at the labs, I took a course on marine algae and the ecology & conservation of marine birds and mammals. My FHL experience was entirely different from my time at UW Seattle. Each of my courses was under 15 students, and all of my professors knew me by name. My classes provided me with the opportunity to conduct three independent research projects, and this was my first real taste of a career in marine biology. The majority of the students in my courses were earning credits for their graduate programs at various universities both in the US and international. I am so grateful to have spent the summer surrounded by so many bright minds who introduced me to career paths that I was not aware existed.
For instance, during my second course at the labs, I attended a presentation from two veterinary students from UC Davis who were working with the SeaDoc society to save the lives of marine mammals. I realized that this career path is the perfect blend of my desire to work in the medical field along with my passion for marine mammalogy. I expressed my interest to these vets and my classmates, and to my surprise, I was offered an internship in Santa Barbara next summer working with marine mammal veterinarians at a pinniped (seal & sea lion) rescue. I have never been more excited about an opportunity in my life, and I cannot wait to work with brilliant people and experience my dream job while saving marine mammals lives.
My time at the labs has ignited my passion for discovering more about the oceans. I earned my boating license and learned how to drive dive boats to different research sites around the island. I am in the process of earning my SCUBA certification and will be a PADI certified open water diver by the end of September. I am going to be conducting research with my TA from my marine botany classes at the UW Seattle campus to make discoveries about the ecology and distribution of marine algae and invertebrates. My time at the labs has inspired me to join UW’s marine biology and SCUBA RSOs, along with the UW pre-veterinary society. I am planning on becoming a veterinary assistant so I can explore my passion for veterinary medicine and gain experience working with animals. I am going to be volunteering at the Seattle aquarium this upcoming year as well with one of my classmates from my FHL course.
I am missing the laid-back island lifestyle and being surrounded by people who want to talk about all things ocean with me. I am so grateful for all of the friends that I have made through this experience; I now have friends who share my interests at UW and schools all around the country. I am hoping to return the labs as soon as possible because I have so many unanswered questions about the sea that I want to begin researching.
Check out my very first marine biology research project!