Adventures in Grad Schooling

The life of a graduate student isn't easy, but for the graduate students at the Marine Mammal Consortium, it comes with a unique perk: access to some of the most fascinating animals on the planet.

"Not many students get the opportunity to study animals in the field, let alone marine mammals," says Chad Nordstrom, who is tagging northern fur seals on the Pribilof Islands. "But my project was completely hands on. I was fortunate to be involved in all aspects, from field planning to data collection and analysis. Without the animals, I would have no study."

Elizabeth Atwood hasn't gone to the Bering Sea, but her thesis is just as dependent on the Consortium's access to fur seals in the wild: researchers bring back poo (scat) so she can analyze fur seal hormones and diet. Her research stinks – literally – but she hopes that it will help scientists figure out why certain populations of northern fur seals are declining.

The Consortium's graduate students also have the advantage of being able to work with well-trained laboratory animals. For her Master's degree, Tiphaine du Dot moved from her native France to work with the Steller sea lions at the Vancouver Aquarium, where she studied the consequences of a changing diet.

"I was able to work directly with the animals and have control of my research," she says." I was amazed by how well-trained the sea lions were."

Beth Young also worked with the Steller sea lions at the Vancouver Aquarium and UBC's Open Water Research Station. "My research wouldn't have been possible without the expertly trained animals and the excellent staff at both facilities," she says. "Most facilities that work with trained marine mammals are limited by tank depth, but not us! No other research facility in the world can take the physiological measurements I needed – heart rate and metabolic rate – on freely diving sea lions. "

Access to animals isn't the only thing the Consortium offers its students. The expertise of its scientists is just as important.

"For my PhD research, I have to tag northern fur seals in the wild," says Tiphaine. "This involves sneaking up on them in a giant wooden box, catching one, and tagging it without being attacked. I've never done anything like this before! I'm lucky that I'm going with researchers who have already done this and know what to do."

Tabitha Hui went from studying land-based animals to marine mammals. "Marine mammal research tends to attract a lot of attention from stakeholders and the general public," she notes. "My supervisors trained me to write more carefully, so my findings can't be misinterpreted. This is the first time I've had reporters interviewing me about my research. I used to be surprised when they come. Now I'm used to it."

The Consortium's graduate students learn other skills in the course of their research. "Patience and stress management are such important parts of the process," says Elizabeth. "I've really honed those skills."

"And everything takes longer than you'd guess," adds Beth. "But it is an amazing experience. It really is."

August 10, 2010