These Critters are Growing on me...

My second day in the lab. Friday wasn't terribly exciting - just looking at larval clams and oysters and practicing moving individuals around (actually not as hard as it sounds when you consider that you can barely see them with the naked eye). Today I actually ran a trial of my actual experiment and helped with another project in the lab. I must say though, these larvae are kinda cute when they're just floating around...

They're winning me over...

In other news, I have office space in my lab! I feel so official :) And I just signed the lease on a lovely house that I get to move into with my two best friends in August. I'm so excited!

Fact of the Post: Not marine science-related, but still cool - researchers at Washington University in St. Louis found that negative emotions can actually enhance memory. I won't include a picture...I'll let you come up with your own scary image...

Milestones Galore!

Oh boy, once again it's been too long since I've written here. I have reached another milestone in my career - I officially have a thesis committee! In addition to my advisor, I have three other committee members who will help me out. I have two toxicologists, an ecologist, and a physiologist on my committee. This gives me an opprotunity to discuss how one should choose committee members:

Sometimes it's just logical for someone to be on your committee, either for technicality or other reasons. The ecologist is on my committee because he is on the grant proposal and will be helping with preliminary data collections. Another is on my committee because he is in the same lab group as my advisor and helped me come up wih thesis ideas. Other times it's about comfort and knowing someone. My last committee member is my former internship mentor. I know him very well and I know how he works. Additionally, my four members together make a well-rounded group with different but relevent areas of knowledge. I have heard suggestions of putting people on your committee with experience in the field and/or in your program. This could be especially helpful if your advisor doesn't have much experience or is new to the program.

I hope everyone had/is having/will have a great Spring Break! My breaks will be limited after this year, so a couple of friends and I went all out and took a cruise! I enjoyed visiting new countries like Honduras and Belize. I also got in plenty of snorkeling and we completed a SNUBA excursion. SNUBA is like SCUBA, except your tank is on a float at the surface and you are attached to it with a long hose. Therefore, no certification needed!

Next things on my list - present my thesis project in seminar and (gasp!) schedule my orals.

Confessions of an Oyster Lover?

So the past week has been busy as far as meeting with people and trying to finalize my thesis project. Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen, I officially have a thesis project and advisor! The upsides? I've accepted a research assistantship that includes summer funding (which I had been pulling my hair over for the past two weeks) and I'm working on tying physiological and/or behavioral components into my project. The one downside? I'm working on clams and oysters. Yes, no fishies for me :( I decided that something had to give, and given all the good that comes with the project, I figured I could be lenient with the test organism. So far I know that I'll be completing a toxicology study; more details to come!

I have mixed feelings about giving up my TAship. On the one hand, I'm relieved to be rid of spending hours looking at lessons and dealing with many of my students. I'm tired of planning entire days around traveling to teach. On the other hand, I've had some amazing students and they're pretty entertaining. Oh well, now the TAship can go to someone who needs it.

Lately I've been finding a niche that's not related to my program. It's the Graduate Open Alliance, a new organization for LGBT grad students. It's been a bit difficult getting things off the ground, but I'm so excited about what we have planned for this semester. I'm the secretary this year, and it's the first time I've had such a huge role in an organization. On Friday we had a social trip to the gay club for a drag show, which is always so much fun! I love my marine biology friends, but it's nice to also have people who understand another side of me.

Well, off to bed soon for my Oceanography test!

Decisions decisions

Now that my classes are less intense, I can focus on another highly important aspect of graduate life - choosing an advisor and a project. I started talking to people last semester but finals and projects got in the way. My program is decently unique in that you have a year to find a project. In most other programs (including the other three that I applied to), you must find an advisor before you are accepted into the program, or even before you can apply. Personally, I like being able to walk over to labs and meet with people after class; it doesn't involved a huge trip on top of senior year of college. I did know that there were many faculty members who I'd be interested in working with, so at least I started school knowing I'd be happy in someone's lab.

Of course, the big thing right now is money and funding. This is where you must find a balance and decide what is more important for you - a funded project or a project you love. If you're super lucky, your project will fit both categories. I have seen a few projects that were funded, but did not interest me. As I will be working on this project for the next two years, I was not too keen on that idea.

My program has also been great in that it has allowed and pushed me to explore options that I wouldn't have considered before. Part of my required curriculum includes a seminar introducing first years to the program and the grad school process. Last semester, this seminar mostly involved bringing in people with projects and/or funding for students. The class exposed me to faculty members I would never have seen otherwise. Equally important, it made me realize that some projects were not as exciting to me as I imagined. I slowly started to open up my mind and consider new avenues. I entered the program focued on fish physiology, but now I have talked to people about parasitology and toxicology. I can still work with fish for either projects, but I would never have considered these topics before. The amount of knowledge that is still out there in this field is mind-blowing, and I'm so excited to be a part of it!