It starts!

I've decided to start a blog because I figured it would be the best way to keep in touch with everyone... I also may not stay in one place for the forseeable future and I firmly believe that just because you leave a place behind doesn't mean you leave friends behind! I want to be better at keeping in touch.

As of now, I am a senior in undergrad at Michigan State University with just one semester to go before I graduate (I'll be done in December 2009). I'm studying zoology with a concentration in ecology, evolution, and organismal biology. I love my major and have come to feel at home at MSU.

This summer promises to be an adventure. I will be spending three weeks in Kenya participating in a study abroad program called Behavioral Ecology of African Mammals (check out the website here: http://www.hyenas.zoology.msu.edu/beamweb/). I leave on May 17th and will arrive in Nairobi in the morning on May 19th. First, we will drive to Lake Nakuru National Park and spend three days there. After that, the rest of my time in Kenya will be spent in the Masai Mara National Reserve, AKA the Serengeti. We'll be seeking out and observing African mammals morning and night and working on research in camp during the day. Obviously I am THRILLED about this trip and cannot wait to share stories and photos with you! However, during the trip I will not have e-mail or phone access, so I will not be in touch. But when I return I'll be sure to post pictures and more!

After I return from Kenya, I am headed to New Orleans for the remainder of the summer for an internship with the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species (ACRES--check them out here: http://www.auduboninstitute.org/acres.html). I will be working with the Center's domestic cat research colony--here's the job description:

"Interns will participate in daily husbandry for the cats, semen collection from tom cats, vaginal cytologies and behavioral observations to help researchers determine estrus in cats. Interns will learn colony management as well as natural breeding and assisted reproductive techniques. Be part of a world renowned team in the field of assisted reproduction."

I have never done work anything like this before, so I'm excited to get even more experience in another area of conservation research. ACRES is known for great research on in vitro fertilization, cryopreservation and embryo transfer for wildlife conservation, and it will be very interesting to learn more about these techniques and how they fit into the bigger picture of endangered species conservation.

Not to mention, this internship is in New Orleans, a city I've heard much about but have never visited. I always look forward to experiencing a new city, especially a place like New Orleans. I'm excited about my internship but can't wait to see what New Orleans has to offer as well.

Stay tuned to this blog for updates about my travels/to make sure that I am still alive, wherever I am. I will do my best to update regularly (minus the time I'll be in Kenya). Hopefully this will provide the opportunity for me to catch up with those of you I've not spoken with in a while and I can learn all about what you're up to as well!

Here are my summer travel dates:

May 8th – East Lansing to Indianapolis
May 17th – Indianapolis to Kenya
June 10th – Kenya to Indianapolis
June 14th – Indianapolis to New Orleans
August 24th – New Orleans to Indianapolis
August 31st – Indianapolis to East Lansing