HELLOOOO WISCONSIN!

Hi everyone,

These last few weeks have been a whirlwind! Crazy amount of exams and homework right up until Easter and then finally able to relax for a few days at home. However, all too soon it was back to Albright, but only for a few days because on Wed. afternoon 2 other students, myself and our 3 advisors made our way to the Philly airport. After a pit stop in Minnesota, we arrived in Lacrosse, WI around 11:30pm and I didn't fall asleep until after 1:00AM (2AM our time). Haha, needless to day I didn't sleep well that night because I was super nervous about my presentation the next morning. Anearly morning on Thursday had a lot of hurrying to catch the shuttle to the university, registering, and then making it to the presentation room with 2 minutes to spare. After the first student presented, I was up and going. This crazy schedule proably worked out for the best, because I didn't have time to be nervous or get in my own head... I just had to get up there and do it. Suprisingly it went really well and I am quite happy with my first presentation at a national conference. After my presentation was over at 10AM, I had the next 2 and a half days to just relax and enjoy the conference (which turned out to be really awesome). My 2 colleagues presented posters and all went well with their presentations and questions.
I've never been to a national research conference, so everything was new and fascinating... for instance being able to hear a guest lecture from Jack Horner (famous paleontologist who was asked to work on Jurassic Park by Steven Spielburg) who is now working on research to "make dinosaurs" by finding and isolating dino DNA from fossils! It was SOOOO cool (and my nerdy side is showing, I know... but who doesn't love Jurassic Park?!) Meeting other undergraduates and listening to the their research projects was also mind opening, from Communications projects about SNL skits of Sarah Palin to a gray squirrel immunosuppresent experiment taken place on a unniversity campus. Perhaps my favorite interactions came when I met Norah from Guilford College in NC. She was presenting research she did on gray whales while studying at the School for Field Studies in Mexico last spring. We instantly had something in common since I had stayed at the Australia site for School for Field Studies and we were both interested in traveling to do field work with mammals... but the really quirky thing is that Theresa Parish, a biology student here at Albright, had spent last spring at the Mexico SFS. So, I asked Norah if she knew Theresa and she did! What a small world, that after traveling clear to Wisconsin that I happen to meet someone who had a connection to another Albright student!
I also got to spend time with the 3 advisors and get to know them better outside the classroom. I can't begin to describe how cool it is to play cards with your professors in an airplane (and beat them!) haha. These are the kind of lasting friendships which I don't think I could have gotten anywhere except for at Albright. Basically, I had an amazing time in Wisconsin and was sad to say goodbye to UW-Lacrosse and am already counting down until nexy year's NCUR conference (which is going to be at the University of Montana!) Hopefully I will be applying for 2 projects, the continuation of my senior thesis (from the mouse population project from last summer) as well as the flying fox project from Australia and will have amazing company again as well!

Come to Albright and come to Montana with me next year!
~*Sara

PS- a huge thank you to Albright for paying for me fly, eat, & sleep in Wisonsin and attend the conference to present my work!