Page 28 - GW-Winter 2023-2024 flipbuilder_Neat

INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS CONTINUED

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Sarasota Dolphin Research Program
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The Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota
Dolphin Research Program (SDRP), based
at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota,
Florida, is the world’s longest-running dolphin
conservation research program. Internships
with SDRP are open to college students
studying biology, marine biology, zoology,
wildlife, fisheries, or a related field.
Interns participate in research projects,
including one that monitors the resident
bottlenose dolphin community in Sarasota Bay
and vicinity. Another project studies relationships
between distributions of dolphins and their
prey, and the factors that affect fish community
ecology, such as harmful red tides. Interns may
also be asked to assist with dolphin rescues.
Interns spend about 20 percent of their
time in the field, on vessels on Sarasota Bay.
They spend the bulk of their time—about
80 percent—in a lab working with data
or performing equipment maintenance.
Internships are 12 to 16 weeks long. There
are three sessions—winter, summer, and fall.
Internships are unpaid; however, a $3,000
stipend is available to help offset the
expenses of travel, housing, and relocation.
India Haber was an SDRP intern in the
summer of 2021. While enrolled at Duke
University, she developed a passion for marine
mammals and bioacoustics, which is the
scientific study, recording, and analysis of animal SDRP intern, India Haber, holds a small Gulf toadfish. Fish monitoring surveys are authorized by the
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Special Activity License 19-0809A-SR).
sounds. The following excerpt was taken from
an essay she wrote for SDRP’s website at Sarasotadolphin.org. SDRP helped me develop important field and lab skills that
“I was extremely fortunate to be offered an internship at made me a much stronger marine mammal researcher.
SDRP. Two of my advisors had mentioned the incredible “The staff at SDRP are wonderful mentors whose patience
research accomplished at SDRP. Over the course of three and passion guide their teaching. I developed meaningful
months in Sarasota, I learned how good science is done. relationships that I will carry with me into the next chapter
“Spending much of the summer on survey boats helped of my career. I’m very grateful to everyone at SDRP.”
me dramatically improve my photography skills and advance Haber has since received a master’s degree in marine mammal
my knowledge of dolphin behavior. I learned about and science and is now working as a research assistant at the University
practiced important marine science tools, such as photo of St Andrews in Scotland. She is studying bioacoustics and
ID. While I did sustain some sunburns and toadfish bites, marine soundscapes.

28 GATEWAYS | LEARNING TO WORK WITH WILDLIFE