Getting our ‘Stuff’ together – With Ashley Bulseco-McKim!

Many of the students in the LivingLab program are getting excited about future employment and internship opportunities that are now within reach, given the valuable experience we are obtaining here on Nantucket.  As summer internship deadlines are approaching, people are working on updating resumes and filling out applications.  Sunday night our Program Assistant, Ashley Bulseco-McKim, took the time to prepare and present a thorough PowerPoint on creating good quality resumes and CVs, as well as how to seize some upcoming opportunities.  We learned some great tips for customizing our resumes to the job we are applying for, such as including keywords from the actual job post to boost hits, and being quantitative as well as descriptive when listing skills.  Many of us haven’t updated our resumes in a while, as we’ve been full-time students, so her presentation was very useful and greatly appreciated.  Ashley is a PhD student, so much of her spare time is focused on her research and projects on shellfish larvae.  We feel very lucky to have such an ambitious and accomplished woman amongst us, sharing time, knowledge, and helping us succeed with our individual studies.

 

Discovering whelks near Polpis Harbor

On Saturday, Jesse, Rubio, and I explored a few sites for future sampling.  While surveying one site near Medouie Creek, I discovered an interesting object on the shore of Polpis Harbor.  Jesse informed me that this was a displaced egg case of a whelk.  Inside one of the broken capsules were a few of the juveniles that had failed to emerge.  Unsure if these tiny babies still had a chance at survival, I returned the case to the water.  Later at the house, still fascinated by the discovery, I was determined to identify the species of the whelk.  Based on the spiral structure of the egg case string and the thick coin shaped capsules it contained, I determined it to be Busycon carica, or a knobbed whelk.  I look forward to learning more about the species on Nantucket, and helping to preserve them as we work to understand their ecosystems.

Brant Point Run

 

A run near Jetties Beach – Timchi and Sarah

As we are adjusting to our new schedule on Nantucket, many of us have realized the opportunity we have to pursue new goals, whether educational or more personal.  Lately I’ve taken to reflecting on what I need to do to strengthen my body and restore some of that energy I used to take for granted.  I’ve never been a fitness guru by any means — in fact I don’t think I’ve ever set foot inside a gym.  But this fresh air and the absence of city sounds and stress has me whistling a different tune.  Exercise:  what seemed like a chore before feels possible now, especially in the presence of my highly motivated colleagues.  Three weeks on Nantucket now and I have been exercising regularly with a few of the other women in my program.  Somedays we focus on toning and core strengthening via YouTube instructional videos.  On pretty days we just just run…

 

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