I persistently harassed the Georgia Aquarium and Marine Conservation Society Seychelles (MCSS) until the Georgia Aquarium finally called me to set up an interview. I had my phone interview last Thursday during Spring Break and they called me on Sunday to tell me I was accepted. (Actually they only had 2 positions available and I was 1 of them!) They gave me until Tuesday to decide. Well then I immediately emailed the MCSS and told them I was offered another internship and they had until Tuesday at noon to tell me if I was accepted or not. I got an email from the MCSS the next day saying I was accepted to THEIR program too! So I went from the Honduras Whale Shark Oceanic Research Center as my back up plan to having 2 legit internships in a matter of a few days. Long story short, I picked the MCSS as my internship choice for a few reasons:
1. I'll be doing specifically whale shark ecotourism! (I'll help spot them overhead, I'll be on the boat recording observations of the whale sharks found, I'll be leading snorkel groups of tourists who will swim with the whale sharks, I'll be helping with photo identification, and I'll be doing office work of putting the info in databases... among other things)
2. It starts in August so I have more time to prepare (thesis, saving money, etc)
3. I won't be bothered by the ethics behind aquariums (P.S. The Georgia Aquarium has already had 2 whale sharks die in their exhibit)
4. At the Georgia Aquarium, the only animals I wouldn't handle as much would be the whale sharks and rays (which in some ways defeats the purpose of a whale shark internship)
The point is.... I'm PUMPED for doing my 10 week internship with the MCSS. So now that I know where I'm going my planning can really begin. I spoke with the director of the International Center to tell him my plans to do an international internship. He told me he was onboard, he could be my advocate, there was money to be given (but not a lot), he told me of a few extra fees I wasn't aware of, like insurance the schools will make me buy. He wanted me to make a budget to show him and find out how many credits my internship would be and then come talk to him again. I've been bouncing around from advisor to advisor deciding on if I want it to count in Biology or Envt Studies (aka Envt Management/Technology? because ENST doesn't offer an internship class). So, I'll need to continue on that. The good news is that I've already done my budget, so I just need to add in the few extra fees I know of and add the tuition cost after I find out which internship class I should/can register for.
Now I can finally start fleshing out my thesis idea. I definitely want to incorporate how studying whale shark aggregations can help in understanding the other species the whale sharks feed off of who group together at those areas at the same time. I need to focus my research specifically on the whale sharks around the Seychelles and draw some broader conclusions for whale sharks in other parts of the world. For my ZOOL 4000 (Animal Behavior) class we have to write a paper on any animals behavior so I'm writing on whale shark aggregations. This has been so much easier because I have lots of good articles to draw from because of my research for this class.
Also this week I finally watched the only whale shark documentary I know of (if there are others please let me know) called "Shores of Silence". It's not very long and can be watched free online. I recommend it! Ok that's what I've been up to for the past 2 weeks. As always, any feedback for my actual thesis idea would be appreciated!
First of all, Leah, congratulations on the internship of your choice! Well done. Now, as for your "actual thesis idea": I don't know how much information is already available to you re whale shark aggregations (presumably your paper for ZOOL 4000 will settle that issue), but as a scientist the challenge for you is to craft a thesis in the form of a testable hypothesis about "how studying whale shark aggregations can help in understanding the other species [that] the whale sharks feed off." So, while you're researching your paper on aggregations, keep a file or a notepad open in which you occasionally try your hand at crafting a testable hypothesis. If you get a few good candidates, your professors can help you vet and revise them.
ReplyDeleteLeah, way to go! You've made it happen and now have a chance to work on the research, secondary research that is, until August. Read like crazy.
ReplyDeleteFinally, your description is just the sort of thing to make readers extremely jealous, especially after last night's snow storm. Spotting whale sharks from the air and snorkling among them. Come on!!!!!!!