Today got an update from my research position, so I felt it necessary to make another post. As a bit of back story I am a part of a research group studying migration patterns of Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum). The morning after a rainy night we got out to the field and collect salamanders caught in traps. Now you may think, oh a salamander or two per trap, no no no, we're talking 10-15 per trap sometimes, it's scary. As I reach into the traps I feel the squirming. Reaching further there are layers of manders wiggling about. At a point it becomes a good trap when we only have 4 because the work was less. The whole processing consists of measuring, weighing and releasing. This can take a while because we find animal holes to release them in... THERE AREN'T ENOUGH HOLES!!! People could walk past and stare thinking we're completely retarded looking at the ground fumbling with these little slimy critters in our hands. When you find a hole you jump for joy and shove like 6 manders into it because there are still 6 more to deal with. But in the last 10 days we had one day with 250 or so, and the next day... 555. We didn't leave until 4:30pm after arriving there at 7AM. I got up at 5 AM that day to go out and deal with that. Even better there were FOUR of us. In the end we just counted them.. the remaining 180. But it is much fun as someone who enjoys field work more than lab.
For any of you out there considering getting a research position as an undergrad, I highly recommend it. Get to know professors, get better letters of rec that way. Also get to know people who have same interests, and you get to do something you enjoy hopefully.
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