I conducted my practicum project at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), located in Edgewater, Maryland. SERC is an institution that functions as a natural laboratory for ecological research. I already knew about SERC prior to beginning my practicum, as I live less than ten minutes away from it. I had friends that routinely volunteer there, and when I mentioned the practicum project requirement, they suggest that I complete it there. My site supervisor, Dr. Alison Cawood, was super approachable and welcomed me to complete my practicum project at SERC.
To future SGC scholars, when identifying a practicum site, I encourage you to look for places that are reflective of your interests, not just your major. For instance, my major is computer engineering, but I’ve always enjoyed learning about biology and ecology. My practicum fulfilled that interest. There will be plenty of time for serious internships and opportunities relevant to your major later; do something you truly enjoy for your practicum.
At SERC, I was a part of the Parasite Project. This project studies the spread of an invasive body-snatching parasite Loxothylacus panopaei (Loxo). Loxo is currently infecting the population of white-fingered mud crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. My specific role in the project involved sifting through crates of oyster shells pulled from various sites around the Bay. Mud crabs take refuge in these shells, and after the crates are dumped into a sieve, It was my job to collect the crabs and place them in bottles of ethanol so they can be sent to and studied in the lab.
While at SERC, I learned a lot about how humans impact the environment. Loxo is not indigenous to the Chesapeake Bay; it actually comes from the Gulf of Mexico, where it was already affecting crabs. Crabbers accidentally brought it up to the Bay, however, and it ran rampant, soon infecting a large part of the mud crab population. Trends like this one tend to occur rather frequently. Although we aren’t particularly concerned about the mud crab population, we study them because there is a similar parasite currently infecting blue crabs in the Gulf. If this parasite was to make its way up to the Chesapeake Bay, it would wreak havoc on our local economies, which thrive on the blue crabs of the Bay.
Volunteering at SERC has made me appreciate all that they do in order to get the community involved in scientific research. They have opportunities year-round for people to partake in, all of which are really interesting as well. For example, in late November, I volunteered with Project Owlnet at SERC, which allowed me to get face-to-face with migrating owls. This was an opportunity that I otherwise would have never experienced.
Although my experience at SERC has not inspired me to change majors or anything of comparable magnitude, it has opened me up to bioinformatics and computational biology as possible career options. I had no idea that it was even possible for computer engineers to do something related to biology, but as it turns out, there are many career options that go that route.
Overall, my practicum project at SERC was a fantastic experience, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in biology, ecology, or just nature in general. I learned a lot about the environment, and got to touch some mud crabs, which was pretty cool. In addition, it got me thinking more about future career options, and introduced me to careers I never deemed feasible as a non-biology/environmental science major. I will likely continue to volunteer for various projects at SERC, as it is very enjoyable, and they have much more to offer other than mud crabs.