In just a few short weeks, I will be beginning my three month adventure in Rostock, Germany. Needless to say, I am very excited! I decided to start this blog as a way to keep my family and friends in the loop of everything I will be doing. As a starting point, here is the basis of my journey:
As many of you know, marine biology, specifically marine mammals, is my life passion. In April, I found out I was offered a payed internship in Rostock, Germany to work with Harbor Seals.
I currently work with seals and sea lions at the Pinniped Sensory Systems and Cognition Lab at UC Santa Cruz, so I knew from the very beginning that this opportunity would be an amazing experience to further my knowledge of marine mammals. Somewhat similar to the work I do at the Pinniped Lab, I will be furthering my experience as a marine mammal trainer, as well as my experience as a research assistant. I will be working through the University of Rostock, and I will be living on a docked boat at the Marine Science Center. Here is a link to their website, where they have pictures of the animals, the boat, and current research:
University of Rostock Marine Science Center
As excited as I am, I still have SO much to do in such a short amount of time! The next two weeks are going to be hectic with finals, moving out of my house in Santa Cruz and packing in just a few short days. I have never been to Europe so I am not quite sure what to expect, but I am sure it will be amazing!
Love,
Vanessa
