If my future was presented to me 2 years ago, I would not believe it. Me, a Chicana born and raised in the city of Los Angeles, working in a salt marsh and collecting data for a whole summer!
I am a rising junior at Bryn Mawr College as a Biology and Mathematics double major. This past semester I applied and interviewed to be an undergraduate student who has the opportunity to do research with Professor Thomas Mozdzer. At first, I did not know what to expect–the first question I was asked was whether I felt comfortable jumping over ditches and walking through the forest. I was a bit confused; I couldn’t tell if it was a joke or if he was being serious. My first day on the field I quickly learned he was serious. That day we jumped over the various ditches in Sweeney creek as I tried to take in all the information about the marsh, the TIDE project, the species it holds, and the beautiful scenery. After a couple of weeks, this place still surprises me every day, whether it be by the scenery, the bugs, or new holes I fall into.
Working on the salt marsh is very exciting! I have been conducting flowering surveys, collecting samples of plants, flying the drone, and setting up my project which focuses on the rate of decomposition and how it differs when mesh size, creek, and time are taken into account.
The beginning of the summer took a lot of adjusting to, but I knew that over the course of the summer this place that is home to Spartina patens, Distichlis spicata, and many forms of Spartina alterniflora would soon feel like a home to me. I may not know my future, but I hope it involves beautiful places like the salt marsh, because ecological research is a big interest of mine. I have been able to learn so many skills from my PI and have had the opportunity to live with other graduate and undergraduate students who have shared their wisdom with me and have reassured me of my interest. Here’s to my first summer at the salt marsh!
–Jocelyn Bravo (Field Tech Intern, Bryn Mawr College)
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