This summer, I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Bradley Carlson and Elijah Greene in a biology internship. Throughout my six-week internship, we focused on four main areas of study. The first area of study involved monitoring the box turtle population in the Allee Memorial Woods. This plot of land has been owned by Wabash College for many years, and the box turtle population has been monitored by professors since the 1970s. This monitoring included finding turtles and collecting data regarding population size, demographics, general health, etc. Being part of this longstanding research was incredibly rewarding, and I am excited to see how the box turtle population in Allee Woods continues to change. The second area of research we focused on was surveying pre-made vegetation plots in the Allee Woods. These fenced plots were used to study the effect of box turtles on vegetation. To do this, we had to learn the names of all of the plants present in these plots, as well as practice our skills regarding identifying them in the field. The third area of research we focused on was Malaise traps, which are traps designed to catch bugs using nets and Ethanol. These traps were part of a nationwide study to collect data on insects and determine differences in species and populations across the country. Finally, the fourth area of study we focused on was a snail experiment which aimed to find the behaviors of different species of land snails when they encountered the scents of predators, specifically box turtles, and snakes. This experiment was mostly conducted by Elijah and myself, and it taught us how to run a professional laboratory experiment and how to deal with any problems that may arise during the tests and trials.
This internship was the most fun and enlightening experience I have had during my time at Wabash College. After finishing my freshman year, I felt as though I had grown accustomed to the workload and different opportunities that are given to us here. However, I never guessed that the amount of knowledge and experience regarding biology that I could learn in this six-week internship would be equivalent to what I have learned in the classroom. Having the ability to get hands-on lab experience while also applying my knowledge in the field has been extremely beneficial as a biology major. I do not doubt that this experience will help me in future classes, internships, and job opportunities related to Biology, and I know that the skills I have learned will be useful when facing problems or setbacks in future research. I want to thank Dr. Dennis R Dean for his grant and for making it possible for me to be a part of this experience, as well as Dr. Carlson for teaching me so much and making this such an enjoyable and beneficial internship.
“Research in ecology necessarily requires familiarity with many different species, as well as research techniques in both the lab and field. The number of projects we tackled in a single summer was daunting but provided a good introduction to the flexibility and diverse skill sets required in ecological research”-Dr. Bradley Carlson
