Since I have finished my internship at the Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, I have been reflecting on everything that I have learned and the amazing connections that I have made. Not only did I adjust to a completely new location, I learned an entire new skillset that is priceless. This opportunity has given me an idea of what working in this competitive field is going to be like and many resources to guide me along the way.
This summer, I mainly assisted PhD student Liam Batchelder with his High Tide Sampling project. The purpose of this study is to see what species are using the salt marsh when all habitats are interconnected at high tide. The habitats are important because they are nurseries for many commercially important marine species in South Carolina. Studies like these help us better understand how we can conserve these habitats and what lives in them. Field work consisted of helping with trawls and lift nets in the marsh and then measuring and processing everything that was caught before data entry. There is a more detailed explanation of this process in my previous blog post. This project helped me pick up new skills and techniques in a timely and effective manner. I also gained all of my boating experience during this project.
I was also able to help with many other projects. Another intern and I ran a grass shrimp project. Researchers have multiple long-term research studies at Baruch. However, they don't typically identify grass shrimp to species because it is time-consuming. The purpose of this study is to determine the ratio of Palaemontes Pugio and Palaemontes Vulgaris in each of the long-term studies. Every week, another intern and I collected two hundred grass shrimp from different sites, identified them, measured them, and then organized and entered this data. I also helped PhD student Maya Skirka with her larval fish study. This was fun because I learned how to collect, identify, and perform gut dissections on larval fish. There are also more projects I helped with that are mentioned in my other blog posts from this summer.
Everyone that works at Baruch really became family to me. I always felt that there was an individual I could go to for guidance or any question I had. We had many get-togethers and birthday parties and even played beach volleyball every week. I never knew how enjoyable and fun a workplace could possibly be until I worked at Baruch. I received help with updating my resume and was given options on what possible paths I could go down after I graduate. Working here has shown me that I am on the right track and I am doing something that I truly enjoy and am passionate about.
Since I have finished my internship at the Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, I have been reflecting on everything that I have learned and the amazing connections that I have made. Not only did I adjust to a completely new location, I learned an entire new skillset that is priceless. This opportunity has given me an idea of what working in this competitive field is going to be like and many resources to guide me along the way. 
