Time Well Spent

Hello All!

The end of my undergraduate career is coming to an end and I have begun to reflect on the lessons I learned and the skills I developed while working in the CMC Herbarium.

"Flowers to lift your spirit." A lovely little flower stand in central London.

Though I have only worked in the CMC for two semesters, my understanding of biodiversity, binomial nomenclature, and natural history collection processes have reached incredible heights.

Organization, communicating with my peers, and following procedures according to protocol have all developed my sense of discipline. Working in an Herbarium isn't simply looking at pretty dried flowers all day like some might assume. There are strict organizational standards that must be met and the procedures for processing incoming specimens are refined and detailed. The requirements to follow every facet of these protocols pushed me to be detail-oriented and rigorous in my understanding of how to accomplish a tasks in the most effective and efficient way.

Looking out over Lyon, France.

Because of the CMC, I developed skills in many areas I did not initially expect when I first accepted the internship.  I never would have imagined that I would feel confident in name verifying plants and making annotations to specimens. I had to use online databases from other research institutes, biology search engines, as well as cutting-edge technology that is being introduced to other labs. I feel comfortable databsing and digitizing specimens, all tasks I had previously no experience with.

Talking with my peers, with professors, and with other scientists was a huge part of my position. I got experience regularly communicating with the designer of the computer program we used for digitization. I was in contact with professionals in the field of biology and I had to approach various positions on campus to complete tasks for the Herbarium. All of these experiences contributed to my understanding of how to approach my superiors in a professional and mature manner.

Lastly, my time in the CMC Herbarium developed my sense of leadership. I was initially anxious and overwhelmed by the duties and responsibilities I had to take on, but with the thorough training I received from Adrian and Abigail, I became confident in my abilities once they both graduated and left campus. After just one semester, I took up the lead in completing the project of foldering the entire collection and helped train Hillary in understanding the different facets of Herbarium work.

Charles Darwin's Gardens and Greenhouse,  Down, Kent, United Kingdom

All of these experiences contributed to my understanding of my place in science. It was only through immersion in a research-driven environment that I knew I was ready to commit myself to pursuing a career in biological writing.

Being an English major and a Biology minor, my interests lie in writing about science. I hope to one day be a science journalist so that I can communicate to the general public the advancements taking place in the field of science and technology. I want to take the complexities and biological jargon seen in proposals and research articles, and make them understandable for the general reader. The whole point of science is to make an impact on human health or on our understanding of life and its processes. If the results of discoveries remain in a near-foreign language, the impact of these studies may remain misunderstood by the public and implementing changes to make life safer could take several years.

After graduation, I want to travel and see the world as much as possible. I would love to see what other scientists are doing in other parts of the world and promote any un-sung heroes. Working for National Geographic or Smithsonian would be the End-All-Be-All, and Hillary and I have already made a pact to be partners in science writing and science photography when we make it big. Until that time, I will be applying for internships anywhere and everywhere, doing anything and everything! Even though working for a travel or science-writing organization is right up my alley, I would even love to take a year off and work for an organic farm in Europe. From my travels in Europe this summer, I learned about the gap-year that many students take before starting University where they travel and volunteer across the continent. I hope to implement this idea into my own life, but make it a gap-year between college and the real world.

The road leading to Charles Darwin's home in Down, a winding and unclear path similar to my own unclear, but exciting future.

Whichever path I choose this next year and whatever I end up pursing as a career, I know that the lessons I learned and skills I developed from my time in the Herbarium have made me into a more mature, well-rounded professional, something I can't attribute to many other experiences in my college career. I know I will be eternally thankful for this opportunity.

Au revoir readers! 

Peace. Love. Plants. 

Sascha Seide