Internship at the Natural History Museum!~
Senior Exhibition Job Shadow Skill Connection Reflection
I obtained an internship through San Diego’s Natural History Museum with the help of Mrs. Frampton and Mrs. JJ. I take care of the reptiles, arachnids, beetles, and amphibians. Every Monday, and every other day they need me, I feed and clean the cages of over twenty animals. My favorite part of the internship is to play with Travis, one of their bearded dragons. He has such a big personality and is loved by all of the volunteers. Otherwise, I do not personally enjoy taking care of the arachnids and beetles. I have a huge fear of spiders, and they have me take care of three desert tarantulas. Although, one of them is pink and it has such a funny personality. It always sits right on its water dish so I have to touch her to move her out of the way. The career that I would like for this internship to help with achieving is eventually, a Zoologist. To become a Zoologist, you need to have at least a bachelor’s degree in Biology and also have taken classes such as chemistry and ecology.
A typical day as an intern starts by going into the volunteer room and getting the master keys. Then I go down to the lower level to get the food and supplies for the animals on the first level. After I have cut the vegetables and gotten the water, I go into the teaching room to feed the Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches and give water to the Pink Desert Tarantula and a Desert Scorpion. When leaving the teaching room, I go into the water atrium and take care of Stink Beetles, a Hairy Scorpion, a Garter Snake, a Tiger Salamander, Toads, an Alligator Lizard, and another Desert Tarantula. Then I take my supplies, using my key card to get into the volunteer room. In there I look after three Leopard Geckos, three Bearded Dragons, four Rosy Boas, and one more Desert Tarantula. Finishing the day, I go back down to the lower level and take care of the animals being prepared to go into the atriums.
Herpetology is easily connected with science because it is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and of reptiles. This career specifically relates to my science classes by correlation of the scientific method. For example, when a snake or lizard is sick or has a bad shed we have to create a plan to assist the animal.
Technology is associated with Herpetology in the aspect of taking notes on the animals and keeping a log of actions and oddities. When professionally taking care of reptiles and other animals, you must take note on when they last ate or defecated. It is important especially if a snake or lizard gets sick for the procedure of how the animal will be taken care of and if antibiotics will be used to assist.
Herpetology is interconnected with critical thinking because you have to be able to know what to do when a snake is about to strike or when a lizard needs special attention. For example, when a snake gets a respiratory infection each and every second is crucial to their recovery. At home, we recently had a snake get a respiratory infection and we used critical thinking to form a conclusion on what the procedure would immediately be so we could save him.
My final impression of my internship is that it has only brought me closer to these animals, specifically reptiles, which I already care about so much. I hope to continue this internship even after I leave Kearny High School and carry on with my education at a college or university. This internship is not only teaching me more about my dream career but it is giving me more connections to people that can get me where I need to be in the Zoology world. I used to be set on becoming a Police Officer or a Crime Scene Investigator, but now I am realizing that my career of choice has always been Herpetology.
I obtained an internship through San Diego’s Natural History Museum with the help of Mrs. Frampton and Mrs. JJ. I take care of the reptiles, arachnids, beetles, and amphibians. Every Monday, and every other day they need me, I feed and clean the cages of over twenty animals. My favorite part of the internship is to play with Travis, one of their bearded dragons. He has such a big personality and is loved by all of the volunteers. Otherwise, I do not personally enjoy taking care of the arachnids and beetles. I have a huge fear of spiders, and they have me take care of three desert tarantulas. Although, one of them is pink and it has such a funny personality. It always sits right on its water dish so I have to touch her to move her out of the way. The career that I would like for this internship to help with achieving is eventually, a Zoologist. To become a Zoologist, you need to have at least a bachelor’s degree in Biology and also have taken classes such as chemistry and ecology.
A typical day as an intern starts by going into the volunteer room and getting the master keys. Then I go down to the lower level to get the food and supplies for the animals on the first level. After I have cut the vegetables and gotten the water, I go into the teaching room to feed the Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches and give water to the Pink Desert Tarantula and a Desert Scorpion. When leaving the teaching room, I go into the water atrium and take care of Stink Beetles, a Hairy Scorpion, a Garter Snake, a Tiger Salamander, Toads, an Alligator Lizard, and another Desert Tarantula. Then I take my supplies, using my key card to get into the volunteer room. In there I look after three Leopard Geckos, three Bearded Dragons, four Rosy Boas, and one more Desert Tarantula. Finishing the day, I go back down to the lower level and take care of the animals being prepared to go into the atriums.
Herpetology is easily connected with science because it is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and of reptiles. This career specifically relates to my science classes by correlation of the scientific method. For example, when a snake or lizard is sick or has a bad shed we have to create a plan to assist the animal.
Technology is associated with Herpetology in the aspect of taking notes on the animals and keeping a log of actions and oddities. When professionally taking care of reptiles and other animals, you must take note on when they last ate or defecated. It is important especially if a snake or lizard gets sick for the procedure of how the animal will be taken care of and if antibiotics will be used to assist.
Herpetology is interconnected with critical thinking because you have to be able to know what to do when a snake is about to strike or when a lizard needs special attention. For example, when a snake gets a respiratory infection each and every second is crucial to their recovery. At home, we recently had a snake get a respiratory infection and we used critical thinking to form a conclusion on what the procedure would immediately be so we could save him.
My final impression of my internship is that it has only brought me closer to these animals, specifically reptiles, which I already care about so much. I hope to continue this internship even after I leave Kearny High School and carry on with my education at a college or university. This internship is not only teaching me more about my dream career but it is giving me more connections to people that can get me where I need to be in the Zoology world. I used to be set on becoming a Police Officer or a Crime Scene Investigator, but now I am realizing that my career of choice has always been Herpetology.