April 1-7
- diego53505
- Apr 10, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 10, 2024
I was bitten by a bug recently, and it's having an enormous impact on the trajectory of my life. This bug is going to change the place where I live. It will change how often I get to see my parents, siblings, dogs, and friends. It's changing the university I'm going to and my major. The bug is huge, the size of the state of Alaska, to be exact. The bite from the Alaska bug was big enough for me to risk a solid foundation and connection I had going for me at Dayton.
The bug I'm talking about is my love for Alaska. I've been infected, and I can't help but want to stay here. Next semester, I will not be returning to the University of Dayton, but instead, I will be attending the University of Alaska Southeast (Juneau) to finish my degree in environmental science. I know some people at Dayton read this blog, so I want to thank you for making Dayton an enjoyable and worthwhile experience while I attended.
Now, let's move on to what I have been up to this week in this busy month.
On Monday, I attended the Kachemak Bay Birders Club Shorebird identification meeting. There is a 30+ year-long and rigorous survey of the shorebirds that use Homer as a rest and refuel location as they migrate, so I will be participating in that later this month.
During my internship this week, we started the process of articulating a beluga whale skeleton. To put back together a skeleton, you begin by creating a "roadkill" layout, which is every bone laid out in its correct position. This took a long time; it's like doing a 3D puzzle.
The other major activity this week was marine mammal surveys. On Saturday, my entire day was spent on a boat surveying animals. We saw plenty of sea otters, birds, and harbor porpoises but no whales. Our goal was to gather as much data as possible on our encounters. We took photos to try to ID the animals, observed and noted their behavior, and took their location coordinates. It was a blast.
The rest of my week was spent working on all the projects due at the end of the month
and enjoying my weekend.
Total internship hours: 10
We'll really miss you being that far but we are so happy for you and all the passions you've found and the accelerated development you are experiencing in your areas of interest.
I loved these pics! The B&W one with the rock coming out of the water looks like a huge whale. That sunset with the sun coming down on the mountain on the back and the reflection in the water is out of this world.
Great pictures D! The anemones are looking at us! 😁