SMSC Diary (Weeks 1-2): Settled in and Getting Started
Two weeks ago, I began my semester long stay at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC) located on the 3,200-acre Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, VA. Students studying here choose to follow one of two tracks of coursework: Conservation, Biology and Society (CBS) or Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (WEC).
I chose the WEC track as it focuses on the application of field techniques in conservation to assess and monitor wild populations. As an aspiring ecologist, I think having an array of field skills will prepare me to collect my own data in order to conduct research, professionally. So far, I have gained exposure to research through the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program at George Mason University. Working alongside Dr. C.J. Schlick, I was able to pursue a research question in Dr. Kim de Mutsert’s Fish Ecology Laboratory. I investigated the influence of temperature on the growth of young-of-year blueback herring (Alosa aestivalis) in the Potomac River tributaries of Gunston Cove and Hunting Creek. For my project, I analyzed data from previous field seasons, but I was still able to assist in the field collecting data for other projects in the lab. In the field, I helped collect fish using seine nets, otter trawls, fyke nets and hoop nets to monitor the community composition in Gunston Cove, VA. Through my volunteer and work experience with the De Mutsert Fish Ecology Lab, I feel that I have a decent handle on aquatic sampling techniques; therefore, while at SMSC I hope to familiarize myself with sampling techniques for terrestrial environments.
A highlight of the SMSC program is the practicum placement meant to allow students to gain real world experience by shadowing conservation professionals. Students meet with their practicum advisor each Monday for the duration of the semester. I, along with another student, will be working with Ellery Ruther monitoring locally endangered wood turtle populations in the area. A large portion of my practicum involves tracking the turtles using radio telemetry - listening for miniscule differences in volume of beeps and battling the terrain in order to confirm the location of our turtles. While the turtles are relatively slow compared to other animals, they are masters of camouflage. Over the course of this semester, I hope to refine my radio telemetry skills, so that I may be as much help to Ellery as possible.
In addition to learning new field techniques, I hope that I will gain a better understanding of the tools used to process the data we collect in our practicum and during our class. Specifically, I would like to increase my familiarity with ArcGIS and the programming language R. While I have only taken an introductory level geographic information systems (GIS) course, I found that I really enjoyed utilizing spatial data to solve problems and answer questions. Last year, I also took a biology course that utilized the R program software to run statistical analysis for an experiment we conducted in our lab. The class focused on what products could be derived from the R software, so this semester I would like to focus on the mechanics of writing and running the codes in the program. Another area I will continue to work on improving this semester is my writing, so that I can effectively communicate my experiences and work.
A popular theme at SMSC is your path. It is only week two, but I have been asked to think about my path more than enough times to really get me thinking about my future– what is my path? To be honest, I still feel like I am at the very beginning of it. My ultimate goal for this semester is to test as many routes as possible so that I leave with a better understanding of where I hope to end up.