Just Do It

I know I sound like a Nike commercial, but it's relevant, I promise.

I can't say it enough times, because it's something that  I don't think everyone believes when you tell them: science is NOT glamourous!

This is not CSI, or House, or Big Bang Theory, or another TV show that shows you how cool it is to be a scientist. This is hard work, no pay and nothing to show for it beyond your CV.

And I do it 'cuz I love it.

What brings this warning on? My current task at work is dull with no challenge. I am doing inventory of seal teeth, animal tissue and teeth slides. I go through every sample, note which teeth are missing, and put it all in a spreadsheet.

I've done just over 850 teeth samples (which feels like 1900, because the left and right are separate), and believe me, there are moments when I ask myself "I need a degree for this?"

Welcome to internships. Welcome to science.

90% of successful students, professors and researchers you will meet have had a period like this. Compared to this, photo-ID was fun! But it looks good on a CV, future supervisors and employers will see this and go "she can do the crap work, and do it right." Plus, the more you say yes to your current boss, the better the reference is for the next job.

This goes for unpaid internships. We would all love to get paid for what we love to do, but like the struggling artist in Soho, we need to suffer for our work.

Anyone who isn't a biologist (aka most of my friends) cannot comprehend the idea of an unpaid intership. When I tell them about past/ future plans, the second question they ask (first being "where is it?") is "is it paid?"

My darling friends. If I was getting paid to be a marine biologist, I can assure you: It would be the first words out of my mouth!

An interesting story. I was chilling with some people, talking about my plans for unpaid internships, and a friend goes "I love my work, it's interesting and I can't imagine doing anything else. But if they didn't pay me... I don't think I would do it."

Totally fair. Most people would choose a career that actually pays them. I get that.

But with that attitude, biology with chew you up and spit you out and tell you to be something easy. Like a doctor.*

In my field, particularly marine mammal behaviour, you need to be ready to give up time, energy, money, sleep, food, and most importantly, sanity, to get what you want. Ifs and Maybes need not apply.

So my pupils, I again offer you the opportunity to check yourself. Are you willing to do anything, give anything, to be a marine biologist? If not, I suggest getting into birds. Everyone wants to give money to ornithologists. Just be ready to wake up really early.

Complaining about my job and something to think about... yupp, successful blog.

Speak Loud!

*before I get some scalpels launched at my head, I AM KIDDING! Becoming/being a doctor is not easy, I promise I understand it's a challenge. Please don't poison me and make it look like an accident.

Lab Rats Aren't Just for Study...

It's been really swell being back at the DFO. I've learned a lot and I've been having fun and it's been great working with old and new friends.

So I'm going to share my lab work with all of you!

Part One: Beluga

I was helping TM with her beluga project. She's looking at whether belugas from different communities are being stressed out or not. So she had me taking little bits of blubber from larger samples of blubber to freeze dry, crush up and analyze. Pretty simple stuff: cut off a bit of blubber, weigh it, but it in a vial and stick it in the freezer. Repeat. It's fatty, greasy work put pretty fun.

Part Two: Bowhead


MC is doing some totally awesome project connecting all the major whale species in the arctic food web, but his primarily looking at killer whales. He took bowhead baleen and drilled into it at 2 cm intervals. He collected the drillings, and then I help weigh out 1 mg samples of each drilling.

This one was tricky. 1 mg is a really small amount, so I was working under a magnifying glass most of the time. And there wasn't a lot of ways to label a really small amount of baleen drilling, so if any mistake made in mixing up samples, you had to start over again.

Part Three: Seals


This has been a lot of fun! I've been taking the lower jaws of arctic seals (ringed, bearded and harbour) and boiling them. It might have put me off watching my grandmother make chicken soup.

Once the jaws are nice and boiled, I take them out, remove all the skin, tissue and occasionally the tongue (those are the best ones!). Then I get out the pliers and pull some teeth!

Who needs to take the DCAT when you can pull seal teeth without a dentistry degree?

The teeth are sent to a lab that takes thin shavings, stick them on a slide and then count the calcium rings to figure out their age.

It's been really gross, totally stinky and completely awesome. My back is aching, my hands are killing me and I've almost impaled my fingers on a canine more than one time. But it's been stimulating work and not monotonous at all.

So that's what I've been up to so far. There might be more, or I might be out of here again! Who knows what the future has in store...

Speak Loud!