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!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
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!
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!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
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!
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!
Monday, November 14, 2011
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!
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!
Monday, November 7, 2011
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)