Holding Out for a Hero

... Or at least a blue whale.

Day Five - Friday

Feeling of the day: Determined.

It was a pretty laid-back day. After the wild night of Manatee Mayhem, no one really wanted (or were able) to concentrate on lots of talks in the morning. So I went to a few, just the ones I thought I'd really get something out of, but spent a lot of the day sleeping and exploring downtown Tampa.

The reason the feeling of the day was determined was that I found myself with a really strong grasp on what I want my Masters to look like. And I think that while it's problematic to close yourself in too much, because then you lose out on opportunities, it's important to know your limits and what is going to make you happy. An opportunity is torture when you are miserable.

So I started working through a lot of that during the week, but today it was finalized in my mind.

I don't want to go to school in the United States. I don't like the way their graduate school system works, it's ridiculously expensive and quite frankly, I really prefer Canada as a country and as a people. I've been asked if that means I wouldn't consider going farther abroad for school, but I think I'd be okay in another British-style country. Which works out for me, because that's where a lot of blue whale research goes on (for example: Australia. Or the UK).

Another thing I determined is the type of "perscientist" I want to be. Yes, I just made up the word 'perscientist'. It is a combination of 'person' and 'scientist', because with some people, they way they are professionally is different than the way they are personally, and that just doesn't sit right with me. Unfortunately, I am trying to throw myself into an exceptionally competitive field. So when it comes to other people in the same state of affairs as myself, it's natural to want to don fangs and claws and beat them at everything.

And I have met them all here. The people who are amazingly supportive of my dreams and offer lots of advice and names and business cards. And the ones that give you the once over when you express similar goals to theirs. It's part of the game, but you have to figure out what kind of 'perscientist' you want to be, because it's not enough to just be nice to those farther down the line. The best way to know someone's character is how they treat their direct competition.

Another thing (sorry this post has no flow!) is that over this week I got a lot of advice. Which is great, but can seem overwhelming as you try to sift through it all. That's why it's important to have a really clear idea of what will make you the most happy. Because it's really easy to feel like you have to take everyone's advice, because they've been around the field longer and do probably know better. But they don't know you better. So while one person was telling me all about places to try and get research spots pertaining to killer whales, I smiled and nodded and wrote them down, but in the back of my mind I was thinking 'I don't want to invest too much time into looking into all this until I know that my blue whale research will fall through.' And if there's is the smallest chance that I can start fulfilling dreams, I am going to take them, even if it's a little bit more work.

So advice: know your limits, be nice to the competition (one day they won't be competition anymore), be nice to those struggling beneath you (you were once them) and don't feel like you need to take everyone's advice all the time, because they don't know you as well as you do.

Wow. A whole five days of blogging. How do people do this on a regular basis? I should be going back to my sporadic updates now that I am back home in Sarasota and that the internship is winding down.

But something for all you readers to look forward to... 27 days until I land in Puerto Rico, then 12 days later I start my next internship!

Speak Loud!

You May Say I'm a Dreamer...

...But I'm not the only one.


Day Four - Thursday


Feeling of the Day: Inspired.

I will honestly admit that I can't believe I've had something to say for every day of this conference. You would that that it would just get repetitive and dull, but in reality every day has brought new ideas and challenges, and I think that's a big part of my passion for this science.

Now I'll admit, not all my inspiration of the day came from the conference. While talking to a friend of mine teaching in Thailand, he was telling me all about his adventures on an elephant preserve. Now elephants are my favourite terrestrial animal, because they produce infrasound just like the loves of my life, the blue whales. But he was telling me these stories (called this because of the lack of scientific evidence, sorry TW!) about suicidal elephants. And that got me thinking about potential connections between the cognitive abilities of animals and their ability to commit suicide (as there have been known cases in dolphins as well, although no papers as of yet).

It's also made me wonder whether there is a connection between the social structure of an animal's grouping and their memory, as elephants are able to recognize the calls of dead martriarchs, and killer whales live in similarly structured pods.

Now, I'm not jumping off the boat just yet, because as you can see, I have connected these ideas to marine mammals, because I have not put in this much time, work, energy and sanity to not study marine mammals.

Add this to the myriad of topics swirling around this conference, and it almost makes me want to scream! There is so much science out there yet to be discovered, and it frustrates me that I can't seem to do it all!

I'm working full steam ahead to get in graduate school now that I have a much better understanding of the 'who's who' of the field. I think I have a decent shot of doing what I want to do for Master's, although the timeline of it all is still a little iffy. But now that I am asking a zillion (real number) additional questions, it makes me want to become a professor just to have student minions to do my bidding in the lab!

I don't think I want to give up my dreams in blue whale infrasound anytime soon, but all these other questions are just so intriguing, it's hard to just leave them alone. For the time being they are written down, and maybe if I get desperate or lucky, I'll have a chance to work on these projects on the side.

So I guess I should give some advice now... I guess it would be to not be afraid to branch out from what you think your singular goal is. A lot of biologists don't study the same thing for their entire lives, so you never know where your career is going to take you. Don't wait too long though, otherwise someone else might have the same idea as you (as I realize that once again, I've shared my own ideas with the general internet public... damn). At the same time, it's not always about having your name on the paper. Sometimes it's just about finding out the information. I'd almost be just as happy to hear the results of someone doing the work on these ideas than doing the research myself. Almost.

Friday might be a slow day. Everything is winding down, and Thursday night is the Student fundraiser party. It's going to be a late night!

Speak Loud!

PS. On another inspired note, if a certain newly created fund (you know what I'm talking about) has not already been promised to any particular organization, I think it should become a funding opportunity for Jewish females pursuing a career in the research sciences (emphasis on non-medical). Just saying.

Reality Check

Day Three - Wednesday


Feeling of the day: Shamelessness.

I felt a lot less overwhelmed today, probably because I took some breaks when there wasn't a talk I was interested in. And I've already seen the most interesting of posters, so I could use those times as a break as well.

That being said, Wednesday was all about connecting for me. Networking using all means necessary in order to pursue my goals, which have been a lot better defined since I got here.

The feeling of the day was shamelessness because you have to be that in order to be able to walk up to a complete stranger, tell them your name and ask for a job/graduate position. I did that. You have to be ready to do that because you never know who you are going to meet.

As well, don't be afraid to use your peers or supervisors in the same way. When my boss from the DFO found out that my goal is to work with blue whales, he gave me a name and said he would introduce us if he got the chance. Don't use something like this as an excuse not to walk up and introduce yourself, but it's a good way of making things happen if you don't know what the person looks like.

Name drop. Seriously, it's not just about Hollywood celebrities. If you are working for a big name in the field, use it shamelessly, because that shows people that their colleagues have faith in your abilities or have trained you in some aspect, and that really means something to them. I've been dropping my DFO boss's name and the head supervisor of the dolphin project's name like they are hot around here, because they are well known people in their respected areas and having worked for them gives me a bit of a boost.

So even though it's sort of frowned upon in regular society, break that and do it, because you never know who's going to hire you based on it.

One piece of advice: have business cards. I didn't want to make any because I don't have an affiliation or even a permanent phone number, but I really should have just printed up just a hundred or so with my name, degree and email address to give out to people I am meeting here. Not that any of them would be the first to contact me, but then if I contact them in the future, they have something that reminds them of where and when they met me, so I'm less of a stranger.

Also print out copies of your CV. We don't have a printer in the apartment so I couldn't do this, but it's a suggestion I've been given in the past and really I think it's a good one. Because you might meet the boss/supervisor of your dream, and you won't want to wait until later to email them a copy.

I know that if my brain is becoming anything like the one's of these esteemed biologists, theirs must be complete mush and fried to a crisp and can barely retain what they ate for breakfast. So if you just meet them and leave them, they aren't going to remember you in an hour (that happened to me). So everything has to be fresh with them, which is why business cards and CVs are great ideas.

The evening had a workshop just for students, and I didn't hear a lot that I didn't already know. Make sure it's a passion and know what you are or are not willing to do to attain your goals. It's a tough process. Get used to ramen noodles. Learn to sleep 6 in a room because that's how you'll afford rent. I already know that I'm probably going to have to go back to a teaching job part time, even though you have no time to do anything once you're a Master's student. There's no money anywhere in this career.

So another piece of advice (I got this one from the pros): Try to get funding before you even apply for Masters. Or if you are sending out emails to professors, find out which ones will take you if you have funding versus the ones that really just can't take you on. Write a killer proposal for a project and start applying for everything. Literally everything.

One of the first things I'm going to do when I get home is start trying to piece together a proposal for a project I think I could make happen. It's going to be a tough process, but once you have a strong proposal you can use it for every grant you apply to, just tweaking it slightly here and there.

Okay, I think that's mostly what I wanted to say about Wednesday. Let's see what Thursday brings!

Speak Loud!

PS. I should say that on top of the feeling of the day, the feelings of the week are exhaustion and hunger. Because I refuse to pay lots for food, and half packs of ramen aren't very filling. I have never eaten so much crap in my life, but whatever my friends have left over I am scavenging like a vulture. Welcome to the life of a biologist.

I'm Melting....

Or at least, my brain is!

Day Two - Tuesday


Feeling: Overwhelmed.

Wanted: Single young Marine Mammologist seeking interested Physicist for companionship and brain picking.

The way today (and the rest of the week) is set up is to choose one of 4 talks at one time, 15 minutes long, all day long.

Go.

And is you took my advice from yesterday, you are like me and attending basically every single one that you think could be interesting. Which I did.

How much of it did I understand? Little to none. How much do I remember? Less than that.

How much did I learn? Tons.

Osmosis may not work for studying, but somehow it manages to work at conferences. You pick up on a lot more that you ever thought you could.

I spent the entire day in presentations about acoustics, acoustic monitoring, tagging and tracking. So much physics. So much biology.

But science is no longer uni-disciplinary ( I think I made up that word...). My friends are also chemists, physicists, geologists, geographists (another made up word). But the questions we are killing ourselves (almost literally) for are all biological in origin, so we call ourselves biologists.

I think it's the atmosphere, or maybe just being surrounded by so many people who are so much smarter and more ahead with their lives than mine, but while I feel completely depressed about trying to find a Master's position, I am also inspired. It's finding the happy medium and actually putting things in motion that is the tough part. But until I do, I'm just going to whine about it. Because that's what I do.

Tomorrow will be more of the same, except lots more about my favourite animal ever. Bonus points for whoever can guess it.

I`m excited to see what the feeling of the day is tomorrow, and I hope you are too!

Speak Loud!

How Many Marine Mammologists...

Does it take to change the world?

That is the question the approximately 1900 of us are trying to answer here at the 19th biennial Conference for the Biology of Marine Mammals.

The theme this year asks us to consider the cumulative effects of multiple stressors on marine mammals.

Bascially, it's not enough that we are polluting the habitat that we haven't destroyed, but we are also invading their space with boat traffic, spilling oil into their backyards... oh, and the climate is changing.

So how does all this effect the research that we are doing?

I'm not going to answer that here, because really, you need a week long conference with over 600 presenters to answer that. Oh wait...

What I am going to do, because this is a teaching blog, is just go through the general day by day of the conference and my own personal feelings for each day.

So Day One - Monday


Feeling of the day - Excitement

The day was spent listening to people present work that exemplified the cumulative effects theme, and was presented to everyone at the conference. It was a good introductory day, and gave you a good taste of what to expect for the next four days. Also we got a first view at all the posters on display, and a chance to mingle a little bit with other people at the conference.

Advice: just take it all in, but be ready to start planning. With something like 300 posters, you want to try and select the ones that sound the most interesting to you, write them (and their location) down and try to hit them up first, like on the Monday and Tuesday. Or at least as many of them as you can/want. That way, as the week progresses and you steadily lose your mind, if you skip out on the poster viewing you're not missing out on the chance to meet and talk with people with particular similar interests.

Also, people that you might be spending time with at the conference might want to skip bits and pieces. This in not the time to be a sheep! If you are in my shoes, where you have no particular project, and you need to at least pretend to be well versed in lots of marine mammal-related topics, you have to listen to the presentations. So let them sleep in or go for a late meal. You should not skip out on learning experiences.

Okay, that's day one! On to day two...

Speak Loud!

Who'da Thunk?

So generally, there are skills that everyone thinks about when they want to go into any biology field. An iron stomach, good with computers, fast learners, deep thinkers and an drive for natural knowledge.

For marine biology, skills like boating experience, no fear of water, exceptional swimming skills and comfortable around/ handling large aquatic animals are also a plus.

as I said in a previous post, there are other really great skills for an an aspiring marine biologist. Lifeguarding, first aid, scuba, boating licence, are all things that say "Not only do I know how to be safe in and around water, but I would be an asset on a boat in case of an emergency and you don't have to put in the time or money to train me yourself!". Trust me, it's a good thing to 'say' all these things.

But then, there are the skills you picked up in the most random of places that you don't think about putting on a CV but that do actually come in handy in the strangest of ways. And even if you don't advertise them directly to your future employers, once you have miraculously found a job, they will help prove yourself a capable scientist. Which, really, is the goal in life.

Like the last post, I'm going to use myself as an example... because really, that's all I know.

Horseback riding - How to make bouncing not hurt

A long time ago, as a gift, my grandmother bought me a year's worth of horseback riding lessons. I had already participated in a week long day camp at another horse stable the summer before, and I had had a lot of fun. So I was eager to get back on the horse (pun intended) and make it a weekly activity.

I had a total blast. My Dad explained to me later on in life "The lessons weren't about competition or even learning to be a master rider. It was so that in the future you wouldn't be scared of riding a horse." It wasn't about making it a major part of my life, but making sure I never limit my future adventures.

Little did either of us know that it would also help keep my backside happy on the rolling waves. Let me explain.

There is a skill in horseback riding called 'posting'. It's where you move your body almost opposite of the horse's movements while trotting. Trotting is a very bouncy style of movement, and when you just sit on the horse while you trot, it can lead to a very sore bottom at the end of the day. So posting keeps you off the horse at the right moments, so your butt isn't killing (as much) when you're done. It's done by sort of standing up in the stirrups at the right moments.

I have found, while in a small boat on not-so-calm waters, that I am recalling my posting practice while sitting and looking for dolphins. Not that these are monster swells in any sense, but when you're going fast over waves or another boat's wake, you can get bounced about quite a bit. But if you lift yourself up at just the right moment, you don't feel it as badly. I actually found myself doing it unconsciously, and I had to smile a bit as this long lost skill made it's reappearance.

Swing Dancing - Awesome Balance


If there is one thing I love doing almost as much as science, it's swing dancing. I've been at it for almost 3 years now, and it has reshaped my life in all the best ways possible. I am obsessed.

One of the biggest things about swing dancing is balance. Because you are being tossed, twirled and flung around the dance floor, and there are plenty of moves that don't require two feet on the the ground at the same time. Plus the interaction with another person means you have to really be in control of your own body, more so than some other dances.

So while I will not pretend to be an expert dancer, I hold my own and I know that my personal balance has gotten better since I started. I've learned good stances and how to hold my body so that I don't fall over easily.

I think this one is obvious in how it's connected to work on the water. In small vessels, balance is important. Especially is you have to be able to do things on the boat, like take pictures or collect samples. If you can keep your balance in waves or poor boat drivers (cough, me, cough), then you are doing dandy, and things don't have to take forever.

Now I'm not saying I have the best balance on the boat. Obviously people who have spent more time on boats are better acclimated to the exact type of movement, but for someone who has not spent any time on marine waters and have never had to deal with these types of conditions, I think I'm doing pretty well, thanks to swing dancing.

Sleep-away Summer Camp - Living with others


One of the biggest changes for me moving to Florida was living away from my parents, and having to live with people I've never met before. Most of the other interns down here are accustomed to that, as University students usually move away from home at 18, even if they are going to school in the same city as their childhood home. But for me, it was a new experience.

Or was it?

Obviously, having to take of myself completely was new. But living with people in close proximity was not. Sharing a room certainly was not. For my next internship, I'll be living at the research station with everyone else, most likely in a dorm/cabin setting. Definitely not new. And on boats, when you have lots of people in a small amount of space? Piece of cake.

I went to a sleep-away summer camp every summer for 12 years. For 9 of those I was a camper, meaning a shared EVERYTHING with anywhere between 2-12 other girls. Everything. We all slept in a single roomed cabin, ate at the same table, did all our activities together. We changed in front of each other and even showered in front of each other. We had to teach ourselves how to maintain our own spaces and how to be "by ourselves" in a crowded room.

So I'm used to living with other people. I'm especially used to living with people who I might not particularly like. Such is usually the case when many people (particularly girls) are forced to spend lots of time together. But after dealing with it in all the wrong ways growing up, I think I've taught myself how to deal with conflicting personalities in a way that won't cause serious drama and blowouts. Which is key when the people you live with are also your co-workers, and it can be difficult to keep your home and work lives separate.

Teaching Swimming - Communication and Comfortable in the cold


Okay, so other than the complete comfort in the water and the swimming skills, teaching 5 year olds how to blow bubbles does not really have much to do with marine biology.

Except for a couple things, actually.

It's one thing to discover facts about animals, it's another to get those facts out into the world. You can do this in a few ways: write a science article about it in a science journal, so that other scientists can read of your discoveries. But then it's always a good thing to tell the public about it. And kids are our future and what not, so being able to relay serious information to kids in a way they'll understand and remember can be an essential skill to have.

Fortunately, this is a big part of being a swimming instructor, because we don't just teach strokes, we teach water safety. Live saving facts and skills that have the potential to save the kid's life in the future. Heavy stuff.

I've also spent a lot of time standing on a cold pool deck in nothing but a bathing suit and wetsuit, soaking wet and no towel in sight. So being wet and cold is something I am accustomed to. So is spending hours in frigid water.

--

This is not to say that now you should go out and do these exact same things. I am sure that you have other experiences through which you have gained similar or different, but still equally as important, skills that will make you a better scientist. What I mean by this post is just to never think your experiences unimportant, because even things that have absolutely nothing to do with marine biology can help you be the best marine biologist you can be.

So bring it on Ocean, me and my bag of random experiences and random skills are ready for anything you can throw at us!

Speak Loud!

A Quick Glance into the Future

No witty title for this one, as it's not really an official blog post.

Really exciting things happening in the next while, so here is some incentive to keep reading!

--I'm going to talk about some skills I didn't realize I picked up from hobbies I never thought would help my career
--I'm attending a conference for the Biology of Marine Mammals at the end of this month... I'll talk about how this conference runs, things to expect, things I never saw coming and maybe even some tips on meeting, greeting and schmoozing!
--I've been accepted to an internship analyzing acoustic data of humpback whales in Puerto Rico! It's only a few weeks, but I'll talk about that aspect of the science and maybe throw a little bit about PR as well.

That's it for now. Stayed tuned for more adventures as my life continues to work out for me in the most interesting of ways.

"When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window." -- Maria (Sound of Music)

Speak Loud!

Your Weakest Link: Goodbye!

First, an anecdote: Back when The Weakest Link was a semi-popular show, my grandmother ended her answering machine message with a quick "Goodbye!". Now for those of you who don't know my grandmother, she kind of looked like the host of Weakest Link, and the "Goodbye" sounded a whole lot like the way she said it. So now, that catchphrase (is that the right word?) always reminds me of my grandmother.

But onto the business of this blog.

The well known but dreaded interview question: What is one of your weaknesses? Now most people automatically want to answer "Nothing, I have no weaknesses.", but obviously this is a very large lie. So one of your weaknesses is that you are a liar. Because everyone is flawed. And 9.99 times out of ten, that flaw will effect your work in one way or another. So sooner or later, your employer will discover your weakness. Might as well be upfront about it.

It's understandable to be wary of admitting to weakness. No one wants to admit that they might not be absolutely perfect for a particular job. But no one is perfect for a particular job. But once you can recognize your weaknesses, admit to them and accept them, it's finally time to learn from them and hopefully to move on from them.

How about an example?

One of my (many, many) weaknesses that come into play a lot in my work is my fear of ineptitude (Hey, that's a word!). I can't handle that people might think I am inept or stupid in anything I do. Sometimes it's little things in life, like people expecting me to know a classic movie or the lyrics to a song; but sometimes it's something important, like knowing the statistical test for data. And my least favourite thing to do (almost) of all time, is say "I don't know". Those words are possibly as bad for me as "I was wrong" (which are almost admitting to the same thing). In the past, my fear of seeming inept has kept me from seeking help, and that has left me with some not-so-great results.

So eventually I grew up, and I realized, admitted to and accepted my weakness. Now it's time to fix it. I try to say "I don't know" more, and then try not to be relieved when my supervisors don't care that I don't know. Also, I've learned about a little thing called "research using the internet", which allows me to quickly learn things that I don't understand. Because as I have learned, self teaching and discovery can be rather rewarding!

I'm also trying to use my peer's knowledge more and more. Although I am inwardly fiercely competitive (another flaw), I am trying to realize that in the same way that I love teaching others (and believe I do so without condescension) other people might feel the same way. And that I won't feel or look stupid to them.

It's a process, just like everything else. And of course I'm also trying to work through all my many other work weaknesses.

So what can you take from all this? Work through yourself and figure out your weaknesses. Or just one to start. Realize them, accept them then it's time to work them out. And remember in an interview to be honest, but put a spin on it so that your potential employer/ supervisor knows that you are working out how to make yourself better.

Interviewer: What is one of your weaknesses?

Me: I have a strong desire to always appear as knowledgeable as people expect me to be, even when I don't know what they expect me to know. In the past this has stopped me from being comfortable with asking for help, but now I am working on being better at asking for clarification and admitting when I don't know how to do something.

Speak Loud!

Where the Ocean Meets the Sky... I'll be Looking!

Finally!

After three and a half weeks of photo-ID, we finally got to go out on surveys again!

It's really simple. We drive around on a boat looking for dolphins. When we see them, we take pictures. That's all.

Ha ha. I wish.

It's actually really hard to see the dolphins. You're just sitting on the boat, looking out to the horizon, hoping to see a dorsal fin or two. Waves make this hard, and a dark day where the dolphins are the same colour as the water... for an amateur like myself, it's daunting.

But miraculously, with a little (lot) of help from our supervisors, a pod of dolphins is spotted.

There is a lot of data collected for a sighting. Latitude, longitude, depth, salinity, water temperature, general location and the conditions (glare, cloud cover, sightability and wave height).

Then there's the taking of the pictures. Wouldn't it be nice if dolphins stayed in one place and posed pretty for a picture? Yeah, I think so too. But they don't. So they are swimming around, doing their thing, and we are doing our best to take a photo of their dorsal fin. My supervisors are absolute pros. I am honestly surprised when it turns out I took a half decent photo.

We go out for 10 days a month, which is half the month when all goes well. The weather defines if we can go out, although it doesn't always deter us. We have a route that we have to get through each time, and how long it takes depends on how many sightings we get.

Some highlights from the surveys I've done so far:

--We sometimes see other cool wildlife on surveys. Like manatees, sea turtles and rosiette spoonbills.
-- One of the dolphins is totally habituated to humans, so much so he comes up to the boats to beg for food. His name, no surprise, is Beggar. It's cool when you see him because he comes right up to the boat, so you get really close to a dolphin!
--We saw the oldest dolphin in the population, she's around 60 years old which is amazingly old for a wild dolphin.
-- We've seen some cool socializing and playing
-- Some dolphins have created really cool ways of eating. A couple families will actually chase fish along a sea wall and use that as a means of controlling where the fish swim. There's something known as 'kerplunking', where they slap the fish around with their tails, essentially knocking them unconscious before eating them. Smart cookies.
-- We see a lot of calves and young of the year. AKA really small and cute dolphins.
-- We went out in the rain one morning, boy did it rain HARD! We boated around in the rain all morning, stopped for lunch, and then the sum came out for the afternoon. Hopefully no cold comes from it!

It's a steep learning curve, but our supervisors are pretty patient and really helpful. And besides, in the real world, on the job training means that you have to train while the work is actually being done, so mistakes are easy to make, but certainly not appreciated.

But this is the type of work is the work I love. All I want to do is spend plenty of my days on boats and in the ocean looking out for the animals I love.

Speak Loud!

That's Fin-tastic!

So marine biology might seem to be all glitz and glam, but it's not all about being sloshed around on the ocean and swimming with dolphins. In fact, it's nothing like that at all. True marine biology is work. Hard work. Now ecology usually does require some field work, so there are some fun aspects to the job, where yes, you do go out on a boat and get to look at cool animals. But like most sciences, there are fun parts, then there are dull parts.

But to quote one of my favourite books (I am so happy I get to do this!): "He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness." (Bonus points to whoever can name that book. The answer will be revealed at the end of the post).

In order to appreciate the field work, I need to put in lab time. So this is an explanation of what "lab work" means to a dolphin intern.


We take pictures of dolphins. Lots and lots of pictures. Of lots of lots of dolphins. And we care about which is which. So we need to figure out who all these dolphins are.


Now we can't just ask them their name and genealogy, that's just silly. So we need to match their dorsal fins to pictures of known individual's dorsal fins.


So they give me a picture of a fin of a dolphin they don't recognize, and based on scarring, notches (bits of fin that are missing) and general shape, I have to see if I can find the fin in the database of all known 
dolphins.


Easy? No, no my friends. The picture I'm given is from 2010, and the database pictures start from back in 70s. And these are living, wild dolphins. So maybe now they have 5 cuts on their dorsal fin. But the picture of the exact same dolphin might only have three.

How do I know I'm looking at the same dolphin? Heck if I know!!

No, there are some tricks. You have to look at where on the fin the cuts and notches are, the space between them etc. And dolphins don't lose notches either. Their skin doesn't  grow over it. So if they have it, they have it.

But to break up the monotony (and it does get monotonous!), we have the chance to help with data entry and data checking. Which is also monotonous, but at least it's social and it's a different kind of monotony.

It's been exciting though, I've found a few fins in the database, which is really uplifting! Then again, I haven't found a lot of fins, which is a little depressing. It's an educated guessing game. But that's science for you!

Speak Loud!

PS. The quote is from the book The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Read it. Seriously. Read it. Don't watch the movie. Read the book.

Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy...

So now that I am living 85% of the marine biology dream, it's high time I shared a little more insight with all of you. Particularly because this blog is supposed to help aspiring marine biologists, I should give you more details about what the job actually entails.

My internship is made up of 3 parts: 49% Photo-ID, 49% Dolphin surveys and 2% Fishing surveys. By the time I got here, they had done most of the fishing, so I only got to help out on four days of fishing.

But what a four days it was.

The short story: We collect fish and measure them so we can get an idea of the composition in the bay and how well they are doing (based on size). We take more measurements and weigh the fish species that dolphins like to eat so that we can figure out the nutritional value and whether dolphins think they are yummy.

Now for the fun story:

We use a technique called purse seine netting to catch the fish. Basically the net is really big and has a heavy string at the bottom. We throw the net overboard and drive in a circle so the net goes in a circle.

The net all folded up, ready to be thrown over

The corks of the net, in a large circle

Once the net is all set out, you take the ends of the heavy rope (the "purse line") and have hydrolics pull them closed. Like tightening the purse strings... everyone get it? Now the net starts to look like a bowl (if you could see underwater). You pull and pull and pull until the purse line is as small as you can get, then you start to bring all the excess net back on board, again using the hydrolics.

We also need information about the habitat. General appearance, depth, salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and the conditions that we are sampling in (from calm and pretty to tropical storm, basically).

This is where the fish come in. To be the best fisher you can, you select the size of hole you want your net to be based on the size of fish you want to catch. Not too big that fish you want will swim through, but not too small so as to catch small fish you don't want. Generally this works really well, but you will get fat fish that get stuck in the net holes, or stupid fish that start to swim through, then want to back up and get their gills caught in the net (what we call "getting gilled"). So as the excess is getting pulled back up, you want to watch it come through in order to find any fish caught in the net (and there will be fish caught in the net).

Because you need to count every fish. Every. Single. Damn. Fish.

And you need to be fast. Because we like fish, and we don't want them to die. So the faster you get them out and get them measured, the faster they back in the water. And the faster you can move on to the next set and the faster you are finished.

So yeah... you need to be fast.

And fearless. Fish bite. And some have really pointy spines (that's the scientific terminology). Some even have sharp skin. A couple are poisonous. But they all need to be handled and counted. As an intern, I could get away with a little bit of wariness and shirking away from some of the fish, but when I grow up you have to suck it up and get 'er done.

Insider advice: only wimps use gloves. If you don't leave the boat with hands totally scraped up, you did something wrong.

We took two types of measurements because we were doing two types of projects. The first measurement was on every fish, and that was the fleshy length. That is the length from the end of the fish's nose to the end of it's skin/body (where the body turns into tail fin).

On the dolphin prey species, we took: total length (nose to very end of tail), fork length (nose to the inside of the fork), fleshy length (see above) and standard length (nose to the end of the spine). We also weighed it to the nearest 2 grams.

Once all the fish had been measured and thrown overboard (dead or hopefully alive), clean up, set the net straight and repeat.

And as bonus data, we collect samples of water to look for red tide ( some kind of algae/small organism that turns the water red. It's pretty harmless to humans unless you're allergic).

Sounds fun, hey? While it is a lot of work, it really is also a lot of fun ( if you're into that sort of thing). And I discovered that the Sarasota Bay really does have a lot of totally awesome creatures living in it. Ones that I have studied and seen dead and pickled, but here I saw them alive and kicking!

Animals like...

Sharks!

Rays!

Horseshoe crabs!

Octopus!

Burfish! (like pufferfish!)

Halfbeaks!

As well as a sea turtle or two (one was swimming in our net and a volunteer had to go out and save it).

So the moral of the story: The fishing was hard, you had to be fast, my hands look like ground beef, you smell like crap, you sweat so much and I have not had that much fun in a very, very long time.

Speak Loud.

The Intimidation Factor

There are going to be times, many, many times, in your career where you will meet people that intimidate you.

Perhaps they are a superior whose knowledge and experience seem daunting. Then your intimidation might be the result of absolute respect. I have felt this kind of fear a lot with my profs. They are brilliant, seem to know everything and their approval is the only thing that matters. Even once you discover that they are but human, your determination to impress overpowers your common sense, and every encouraging word or disciplinary act moulds ever move you make.

Then again, perhaps it is some up and coming scientist, wide eyed and naive, but who you know is much smarter than yourself. You fear that the future of your science won't be written by you, but rather them. You are intimiated by their potential to overthrow you, and you will be forced to live in a cardboard box and eat ramen noodles for the rest of your life. Fear not! Except for the few arrogant ones that no one likes and therefore will get turned away from jobs more often than not, those younger/ less experienced than you will look up to you and seek your advice simply to not trouble the waters and occasionally to be liked (see paragraph above). So don't fear them, encourage them and help them become better scientists. Most will know their place, and remember: science is a team effort.

The final category, and possibly the most terrifying of all, are your collegues. Those that are also recent graduates, looking for the same funding and the same job/academic opportunities. These are your true enemies, the one's you keep closer than your friends. You are in your own arms race, constantly keeping up the Joneses.

Or are you?

As I have recently discovered, everyone has the one-up on each other in some way or another. While a collegue might have more experience in one field of interest, you might have more experience in another. They wrote a longer thesis, but you wrote a more concise one. They went away for school to a expensive university, but you understand the value of money, don't expect your supervisor to come up with all the funding, and are ready to spend gruelling hours writing grant proposals (see last post). When you sum it all up, life, work and school experience, 95% of us are on equal footing.

I am living this out right now. Some of the other interns on paper seemed super intimidating. But as I get to know them, I find that I have experiences they don't, and even though they've had more experience in marine biology, they aren't entirely sure what they want to do in the field. I think depriving myself of it for so long forced me to really think it through and consider all the options ahead of time, which might in the end make me a better candidate for graduate school or jobs in the future.

So refuse to be intimidated! Except by your superiors, they are actually frightening. But as for the others, we're all just trying to learn new things and expose the world to new knowledge. Science can't happen from one person alone, so don't waste time being intimidated that you could be using to fuse two (or three) brilliant minds together to make the future of our planet a better one.

Speak Loud.

Must be Funny in a Rich Man's World

Hey Team!

So to all my followers eagerly anticipating my next post, I apologize for the wait. August was not a very biology-y month for me, so other than preparing for Florida (where I am sitting right now), there wasn't much for me to say. But with my internship starting in a few days (I should probably figure out how I'm going to eat...) the posts should be almost endless!

But that isn't the subject of this post. The subject, if you didn't guess from the most excellent clue in the title, is money. Specifically, how the hell am I supposed to get some.

This is another thing I was I was told back in high school about becoming a scientist. Getting your second degree is nothing like getting your first. Your bachelors is basically handed to you, all you need to do is: apply to a university, get accepted, work your ass off, and POOF! degree!

Masters: Work your ass off in your bachelors, write an Honours thesis, gain work experience, apply for grants/scholarships, get grants/scholarships, apply to supervisor, get accepted by supervisor, apply to university, get accepted to university, work your ass off, write thesis, and POOF! degree.

Sounds like a blast and a half, no?

This is not me complaining, I am more than excited to do all of it. It's just a very intimidating process. The most intimidating part though is the grant application process.

See, research costs a lot. It costs even more then you are working with giant animals that live under water where no one can see them. And most profs, even the ones who work with marine mammals, don't have thousands of dollars to fund yet another project, so they insist that students bring their own money into the mix. Especially if they want food and shelter for the next two years.

So that's where I stand. I am in the race of my life competing with other (probably more) qualified students for money to help jump start our futures and careers. And as much as I impressed my family with my grades and accomplishments, in the research arena I am a so-so candidate, and there are many more impressive people worthy of money (more on them later...).

Once I am totally settled in, I'll have to start worrying about all that. It's going to be a lot of applications, and a lot of rejections. I'm glad I went through I lot of that with my job search, I ordered a pretty think skin for that.

Enough complaining Gaby! The point of this was to help other marine biologists, not to be a whiny baby!!

So here is where to look for money to help fund research. Disclaimer: My grad student friends had to help me with this, because I had no idea where to go.

-- NSERC - one of the hardest grants to get, but therefore the most prestigious. Only the best grades, most work experience and most publications get these grants. So seriously (seriously) work hard, and make yourself into the best applicant for this grant

-- University grad scholarships - most universities have grants specifically for their grad students, so look into these. But remember, they are open to EVERY grad student in the school, so competition is high.

-- Society scholarships - If you belong to a biology-related society (which you should.... a few even), they might have research scholarships for members and even specifically students. The applicant pool is much smaller for these, so you have a better chance of getting one.

--Online resources - there are websites (like www.studentawards.com) that help you by listing all the scholarships you might be eligible for. Although the name of the scholarship can be important at times (see NSERC), it's the money in your hands that is the finish line. So apply to even the most obscure scholarships, because you're not going to care who's memorial scholarship it is when you have a couple grand to buy groceries with.

I'll be starting my own money making process soon. Hopefully I get something from someone so that I can make my Master's student dream into a reality.

Speak Loud!

It's What You Know

There's a saying that recently I've had to modify to fit my current life.

"It's not what you know, but who you know. But once you know them, you better as hell know what you're doing!"

This seems to describe my current situation at the Government.

Let me start at the beginning.

TM is a grad student that was working in the same lab as me during my honours, and her co-supervisor is a researcher for the Government of Canada in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). When I was dramatically overemphasising my lack of work this summer (although at the time the plan was to sit around for 4 monhts...), she suggested I contact him and ask if he needed any assistance this summer.

I kicked it into gear and emailed him. I got a meeting, and left his office with a volunteer position in hand.

So you see? If I didn't know (and somewhat impress) TM, I would have never thought to really contact (name dropping helped) Dr. F and I wouldn't have gotten the position.

It's who you know.

But that's not the end, silly people...

I started editing photos of orcas for photo-ID. Then I reformatted their orca sightings database to fit the form of the East coast database. Then when that was all done, I made a narwhal sightings database and range map.

Then they figured they had the money to pay me casual (*happy face!*).

Now, I have found myself as the primary developer of a beluga ice entrapment database, which will be the basis of some kind of proposal and paper and I have no clue what else (because it's not my official project, I'm just the head of the work),

And they want to put me on contract work for it. And maybe pay me more (I didn't ask, because I'm not in it for the money).

And all this because it turns out I make a pretty good looking database and some pretty nifty maps (like the one I put here, because I <3 it).

Yeah, that's all me...

So it turns out, it is what you know. But also who you know. This year I discovered that I am completely shameless when it comes to using connections and name dropping like it's no tomorrow ( I even opened an email in Hebrew to a researcher I know is Israeli to get on her good side. It may have worked).

So my advice?? Know what you are doing, but don't be afraid to connect and name drop at all times. You never know who is going to come in handy!

Generation Z

I spent last week working at the Museum day camp to make a little extra cash this summer, on top of all the research (it's a busy summer!). While being fun and active, it's also a pretty educational camp, especially when you have a newly graduated biologist on Animal, Arctic and Alien day.

So I feel like I spent most of last week pushing environmental and conservation concerns onto the malleable minds of children.

Animal day: Humans are top predator in all habitats. We kill more animals in any environment than any predator anywhere. All we do is destroy.

Arctic day: Climate change is all our fault (sorry Dad!) and we are destroying our Earth and atmosphere (I added a bit on the Ozone layer). Everyone should stop driving and become vegetarians.

Alien day: The 'aliens' in our oceans are way better than the aliens that might be in space. Thank goodness NASA cut their shuttle program.

Okay, maybe I exaggerated (but not by much, I'm afraid), but it's pretty clear. I don't think I was lying (although my Dad might disagree with me re: climate change), but was I right in making and teaching these claims to kids?

I think I was. I mean, kids get smarter every generation with better access to information, and really, they are the ones that are going to make all the difference in the world ('Kids are the future' and all that).

I could go on, but I think this one is going to be a short post (tomorrow's will be longer, I'm sure!). More cliché lines of "plant the idea and grow the knowledge" or whatever, but this is what I leave you with.

I do believe that we have to teach the kids and work up from there. Even if one of those kids asks their parents to stop idling their car (like I do to my dad), it's a small step to a potentially healthy planet.

To Zoo or not to Zoo

Just a note, I really wish I hadn't used the title "Do's and Don't's" because  I wanted to do "Zoo's and Don't's" for this one... but I can't, so I won't. Oh well.

I am working for FA this summer. She is a grad student looking at infrasound in peacocks. Now you might be asking "You are in Canada eh? Where are you getting peacocks to study?" Well I'll tell you.

The city zoo.

I feel like the biology/zoology world is torn in two on whether zoos are good or bad. Obviously there is the issue of animals not being in the wild, being in cages too small, being bored and not learning key survival skills. Aquariums are on the same stand. Being forced to perform, in tanks where they can't swim at natural speeds etc....

And of course there are the accidents. People get lax around caged animals, so keepers are mauled by lions, Orcas (NOT killer whales!) drown their trainers and so many patrons injured by close encounters.

So with all the negative things that happen, why are zoos still open?

Well back back back in the day, when zoos were for entertainment only with no consideration for animal care, I would have to agree, with animals in mind, they were horrible. But times have changed. Exhibits are larger and more accurate, enrichment objects are better, and animal care protocol in general continues to raise the bar. So all in all, the animals themselves are not in the worst of conditions.

But Gaby, isn't it STILL better for them to be in the wild?


Yes, but you are missing one crucial part of most zoos and aquariums....

PUBLIC EDUCATION AND AWARENESS!


Without zoos and aquariums, how could we efficiently teach the public about the importance of conservation? Zoos and aquariums donate tons of money to conservation programs and many have conservation programs built in. And they are the best way to scream endangered and extirpated into the faces of people that have power to change things.

So zoos and aquariums.... conservation and public awareness. Maybe you may think it's cruel to make dolphins perform three times a day, but all of a sudden an audience of 200 know how intelligent these animals are; and if you tell them that these animals are being caught as bycatch in shrimp fisheries... just maybe we'll see a change. Plus all donations from the show goes to dolphin research and conservation.

So maybe zoos are bad and maybe they are good. I'm not here to change your mind, because it's hard for me to make mine up. Doing research at my city's zoo has me thinking they aren't that bad. And I'll admit I like a dolphin show because it's a show of intelligence, and maybe the dolphins are having a bit of fun. Who knows.

Maybe I'll ask my followers... Zoos/Aquariums: condemn or keep?

More About Me!

I just realized that I have been spouting out all this "wisdom" about becoming a marine biologist, without answering the question "What makes you qualified to tell me anything?"

The answer: I'm not. But I have been around the block at least once so far. And that makes me think I know a little something about nothing.

But just in case, here's a little more about me.

I am a recent graduate of the University of Manitoba. I have a Bachelors of Science in Biological Sciences with a focus in Evolution and Biodiversity. My degree is an honours degree and I wrote my thesis on sex-biased parasitism in Richardson's ground squirrels. It's not nearly as fancy as it may sound.

I was never told what it would take to be a marine biologist until my 2nd/3rd year of University. Oh, and it only took me 3 years to do my 4 year degree because my high school let me take my 1st year courses with them. So I was pretty much oblivious until it was almost too late.

Instead of working in a lab or offering my services to field work, I worked as a swimming instructor, camp counsellor and Museum Youth Programs worker. Instead of burying myself in the books in order to get all the A+'s, I had fun with friends and learned to swing dance.

So I am a little bit ahead and a little bit behind. But this has given me the chance to put off Masters for a little bit and an excellent opportunity to ask for a lot of help and advice from grad students and profs alike.

As for my future, it's a little blurry and a little clear. the exact details are blurry, I'm not sure when I'm getting my Masters or if I'll need a PhD (but "Dr." in front of my name is pretty tempting) but I do know what I want to research for the rest of my life (or as long as I possibly can).

And that is acoustics in blue whales. Particularly infrasonic communication in blue whales. infrasound is low frequency sound (less that 20 Hz) and for the most part only large animals can produce it vocally. Like blue whales. We know they make it but we don't know why or when and THAT"S what I want to find out.

So now my entire life is focused around getting to that goal. This summer I am working on marine mammal databases for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans as well as a field assistant for a grad student working on infrasound in peacocks (who produce it with their train rather than vocally). One step closer....

Speak Loud!

Do's and Don't's

Here are the do's and don't's (I don't know if that's a real word....) of becoming a marine biologist

Do take all the best math and science classes you can in high school
Don't neglect your English class! Having good, clear and concise writing skills will come in handy (hence why I am struggling)

Do care about your grades starting as early as you can. It's about getting into the best university (with as many scholarships as you can).
Don't neglect the extra curriculars. Universities are looking for those!

Do work hard and save lots! Get used to having to earn money on top of school, because grad school doesn't pay much. Having a bit of a safety net is always good.
Don't put off travelling! I have, and I regret it. That being said, my personal goal is to have a career that travels a lot, so I felt like I could hold out for a while. Still on the fence about it.

Do find work in your field!! Something science related, in a lab or as a field assistant or even a data cruncher. I spent my high school/undergrad life doing jobs COMPLETELY unrelated to biology, and I am paying for it now.
Don't be unemployed if you can't find a lab job! Every job has skills that are important to biology, it's all about how you spin it!

Do take all the courses you can to give yourself all the skills and certifications you can! First Aid, Lifesaving, boating licence, scuba diving, etc.
Don't forget to take specific courses. Universities will offer courses like "marine ecology" or "coastal reef biodiversity", and those are what are going to make you stand out. But they cost. A lot. Just go to a university that offers a marine biology undergrad degree.

Do make 'friends' with your biology profs in University. If they know your name and know you are interested in their field, they will make GREAT connections and can be extremely helpful in progressing your career.
Don't believe that "C's get degrees"!!! Get the BEST grades you can, and if you need help ASK FOR IT!! Peers, profs, TAs, older friends, anyone who knows what they are doing can help YOU know what you are doing!

Do get an honours degree. While you are at it, do a co-op too. A general degree is 3 years, a honours is 4 but a honours co-op is six years but it has to be the best idea in the entire world!! I wish I had thought of it.
Don't be in any rush!! If research is what you want to do with your life, then any time you spend doing some is worth it, even without letters after your name (but those are pretty sweet). So do the volunteering, take the co-op, take almost any job offered to you and don't worry about how long it takes between degrees!

That's all I can think of for now. Learn young Jedis. Learn from all my mistakes and you will make it better than I will... wait a moment... damn.

It started with a dream....

No one seems to agree on when I wanted to become a marine biologist. My dad says it was when I was three and I saw a scuba diver feeding sharks and fish at an aquarium in Disney World. My mom might say it was when I was seven and made a diorama of a clown fish. I remember when I was eleven and read A Ring of Endless Light by Madeline L'Engle which is about a marine biologist and decided I wanted to work with dolphins. Or maybe I read it because I wanted to work with dolphins. Who knows.

All I know is that for longer than I can remember, I wanted to be a marine biologist. Sure, I thought about becoming a doctor, and yes I considered going into teaching, but through it all, marine biology has won out.

When you are a kid, "marine biology" meant playing with dolphins. When you are in middle school, it meant training dolphins. In high school, it means researching dolphins while scuba diving.

University dashes all those into pieces.

Now it means field work you can't afford, followed by hours and hours or sitting in front of a computer begging for money and crunching numbers, being rejected over and over for publishing and when you are finally accepted, you are torn apart limb from limb and scrutinized. Then you are published. Then repeat.

I still want it. So badly.

But nobody told me what I needed to do in order to be a marine biologist. So I wasted my high school away with extra circular activities and fun. And now, I am just trying to make my dream come true the hard way.

Join me in my adventures!