- Zoos: A Historical Perspective from Smithsonian Institution Libraries
The National Zoological Park is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
AZA
From Erika Bauer, the Zoo’s first Fujifilm Curatorial Resident in Animal Care
July 2008
Summer-Summer-Summertime
One of my favorite things about summer is the number of highly qualified people who apply for the Animal Behavior Research Internship, which I coordinate and supervise. Granted, the applications roll in way before summer even begins, but summer means availability for most high school and college students as well as for recent grads. And students are hungry to make the most of their summer experiences.
This year I was amazed at the number of people willing to work long hours in the summer heat for the good of zoological science. And all of them were extremely excited about the prospect! Did I mention that none of the interns in this program receive financial compensation from the Zoo for their efforts?
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| Four of my summer interns |
This summer we received a record number of applications to my internship program and we were able to offer the opportunity to six summer interns, which is double the number I have supervised at any one time in the past. These interns have been on board for several months already, and have proven themselves to be absolutely amazing. Interns of past sessions have been no less amazing, but by sheer numbers, we are pushing a variety of research projects forward as never before. It’s very exciting!
I thought this diary entry might be a good opportunity to tell you a little bit about the challenges and the pleasures associated with mentoring interns at the Zoo.
The Challenges (Which, by the Way, Are All Worth Facing!)
For me, one of the most significant challenges in preparing for a new intern session is selecting which applicants to accept. No matter what, I always wish I could provide opportunities to more people. You might ask, “Well, then, why don’t you accept more people? Volunteer interns don’t cost you anything!” In a sense, this is true—and it seems a shame that we have to turn down volunteer help. But there are limiting factors beyond those that involve money, and all of these factors must be considered in the decision-making process.
How Many Interns?
The number of people I can accept into each session is primarily limited to how many projects we have the time and resources to coordinate and support. By "time" I don’t just mean the time that I commit as the interns’ primary mentor. I mean keeper time, curator time, and sometimes contributions of staff time from other departments.
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| Two of my summer interns with a Grevy's zebra |
Even simple observational projects are a group effort, and communication between interns and staff is required for the planning and implementation of projects, and the accurate interpretation of behavioral data. When animal units experience staffing shortages or are already committed to supporting other important projects, we might be unable to pursue projects of interest for that reason alone.
Are There Enough Computers?
Depending on the type of project, we may also need the support of exhibits and facilities staff to supply materials, help to make exhibit or equipment modifications, or produce graphics to explain our research projects to the public. In addition, much of our work requires computers, so we are also limited by the number of computers we have available for intern use.
How Much Expertise and Experience?
A big factor to consider when selecting interns is each applicant's level of expertise and experience, and whether the timing will be right to bring him on board during the session for which he have applied. Because I have curatorial duties in addition to the supervision of an intern program, my availability to interns depends on what else I have on my plate during a given session.
The intern program is designed to offer people early career experience working in a zoological setting, so it can be terrific for people who have very little research experience under their belt—people who want to get their feet wet and see what it’s like to do research in a zoo, in case that’s a career path they might choose to follow.
But the experience will only be terrific for them if they understand what they are doing, and to understand the complexity of behavioral research, it takes appropriate guidance and time. Because I have to balance my own time appropriately, I might know that I only have time to supervise someone who already has existing knowledge of certain aspects of research. I always strive to teach Zoo interns new things, but it’s an extra challenge for me when everything is new to them.
Which Projects?
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An intern dyeing the tail of one of our Asian small-clawed otters so we can identify it.  more |
Another challenge is that I have only limited control over what kinds of research projects can take place. I can investigate options and propose research projects, but I do not have complete control over which projects can actually be initiated. This is the reality of conducting research in a zoo, and it can’t be avoided.
No matter how awesome our research idea is, the projects we propose might have an unwanted impact on animal management routines, the visitor experience, or concurrent research projects being conducted by others. Multiple people need to approve of projects before they can be implemented. The approval process can take time, and even if I love the idea of a project, it might not be possible.
What does this mean in terms of my experience as an internship mentor? Well, it means that highly motivated interns with great research ideas can’t always conduct the research they’d like to conduct. Sometimes there are significant delays as a result of the communication required to figure out whether or not a project will be approved. And in those instances when we find out a project can’t move forward, I’m the bearer of the bad news to the intern with a great idea—never a fun duty.
There’s even the possibility that a project which has been approved by all the necessary people can be halted completely by an unexpected change in animal management or Zoo policy, even after it’s already begun. This can be particularly frustrating when interns have invested a lot of time and energy in a project. What do we do in such instances? We adapt, we modify our plan, and we move forward along a different path. It’s unfortunate when those sorts of things happen, especially during what is a relatively short internship experience even under ideal conditions, but such challenges offer a good learning experience, for interns and for me.
Truly Rewarding Rewards
One of the things I love most about behavioral research is the data collection process. There is something very enjoyable about the process of watching animals and learning more about them simply by spending time watching them. I would absolutely love to have more time to sit and watch animals myself, but as I’ve already alluded, time is at a premium these days.
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| Interns conducting an observation |
Thankfully, I can live vicariously through Zoo interns! It is incredibly rewarding to be in a position to provide the opportunity for others to have an experience that I so cherish myself, and I love to hear the interns’ stories when they come back to the office after conducting observations—they reveal true enjoyment of their experience, and that is cause for a smile.
After coordinating a few intern sessions so far, I have learned that we can make a lot of progress on research projects with the help of interns. This has been tremendously useful for our zoo staff (who now have a better understanding of the animals in their care) and for the scientific community at large.
In the current session we are working on the development of an ethogram for cassowaries, investigating the night behavior of Asian elephants, studying the social dynamics of a group of Asian small-clawed otters, researching ways to reduce stereotypic behavior in one of our sloth bears, increasing our understanding of the impacts of different enrichment strategies on lions and tigers, analyzing the effects of enrichment objects on the behavior of giant Pacific octopus, and more. We could never get this much research done without the help of interns!
For the interns themselves (and I speak not as someone who wants to brag about her own internship program—which is great!—but as a former research intern myself), this is a great opportunity to experience working in a zoo, learning about behavioral research theory and methodology, and figuring out what they like and don’t like about this sort of work. Interns get to interact with staff from a variety of zoo-related fields, and have an enormous opportunity to learn how others got into this field, find out what they like and don’t like about their jobs, and inquire about whether they know of any opportunities that might be available for an intern who’s looking for a zoo job in the future.
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| Three happy interns |
Aside from the obvious benefits of the free help that interns provide to the Zoo, I absolutely enjoy my experiences getting to know new people each session. We share stimulating scientific discussions, interesting philosophical discourse, and humorous banter. I have found that I learn as much from the interns as they learn from me, so these internships are wonderful collaborative experiences.
To my current interns—Bonnie, Christine, Courtney, Cindie, Marieke and Joel; and to my former interns—Kathayoon, Kendra, Ifi, Molly, Jen and Stephanie; and to my future interns, thank you for the internship experience and for all of your hard work!
