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Farewell to our 2018 student interns

8/29/2018

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Every year we take student interns with us on our research project. We love introducing the world of marine mammal field work to enthusiastic students. This is Amara's summary of her time with us, thank you Amara for all your hard work!  
by Amara Chittenden
​My time at the Islas Secas is coming to an end and I cannot believe how fast the past few weeks have gone by. I was not sure what to expect with my first field research experience, and I could not be happier with all the things I have learned. I now understand the effort that goes into using photo IDs of flukes and comparing each of them to a large database (of over 600 whales!) from previous seasons. Every time that we put the hydrophone into the water was exciting, and I think we all agree that humpback whale songs should be at the top of the music charts. When we stumbled upon competitive groups of 8 or 9 whales, watching them throw their huge bodies at each other for a female companion, we could spend hours stitching together a picture of who is who and what is playing out. Watching this team of researchers that have dedicated themselves to putting in long hours every day to get this data is the coolest thing to get to be a part of. We are all exhausted at the end of the night, but we wake up every morning ready to go out. Because when you see a mom and calf milling about, or a whale breaching in the distance, or a singer composing a song beneath the boat, you get even more excited about the work that goes on. I am so lucky to have been able to see these whales up close, and to be at these beautiful islands where we are so supported and welcomed. And while I will definitely miss the massive quantities of Pringles that we have snacked on in the field, I will miss the people here the most. I cannot wait to hear about the results and outcomes from the project (especially the sound recorder!), but in the mean time I’ll be heading back to school in Vermont. Thank you Kristin and Panacetacea for everything and the internship of a lifetime!
Picture
Amara diligently recording data during a whale sighting
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  • Panacetacea
  • Who we are
    • Research Team
    • Students
    • Colleagues
    • Cooperation
    • Gallery
  • Blog
    • Humpback Whales 2022
    • Humpback Whales 2021
    • Humpback Whales Summer 2019
    • Humpback Whales Summer 2018
    • Humpback Whale Winter 2018
    • Humpback Whales 2017
    • Humpback Blog 2015
    • Humpback Blog 2014
    • BlogBocasDolphin 2014
    • Summer 2013 Blog
    • Summer 2012Blog
  • Programs
    • Monitoring Program >
      • Humpback Whale Project
      • Dolphins of Bocas del Toro Project
      • Dolphins of Changuinola & Gandoca Project
      • Dolphins of Gulf of Chiriqui Project
      • Cetaceans of Iguana Island Project
      • Central American Marine Biodiversity Acoustic Surveillance Network
      • Stranding and Rescue Network
    • Education and Outreach Program >
      • Education >
        • Internships
      • Outreach
    • Ocean Science Program >
      • Whale-Watching
      • Bocas Study Case
      • Research Permits and Whale-Watching Licenses
  • Donors & Grants
  • Small Grants Program
  • How to help
  • Documents
    • Peer Reviewed Publications
    • Documents for the Public
  • News
  • Store
  • Contact us