Amanda N. Cass
Mt. Holyoke College
South Hadley, Massachusetts
To the National Science Foundation,
I am writing to express my sincere thanks for your support of the National Museum of Natural History Research Training Program. Being accepted to this program was a dream come true for me, and the experience has been one I will never forget. The RTP gave me an opportunity very few other programs could have given, the chance to explore a branch of biology in which I was unsure of my interest, and to do so in a well equipped environment under the guidance of experts in the field. After two months of immersion in this discipline I have a much clearer idea of what I would like to pursue in graduate school. Though I have enjoyed studying systematics, I have also realized how much I miss other aspects of biology, specifically macroevolutionary theory and functional morphology. I have come to the conclusion that I do want to continue working within a systematics framework, but also that I should seek out a program where I can pursue my other interests as well, and hopefully find a way to integrate these disciplines. My participation in the RTP has helped me to chart a course for the duration of my undergraduate and graduate education, and for the rest of my career in biology.
During my time here I've had a chance to continue an independent project I've been working on for some time, a systematic study of the flatfishes (Pleuronectiformes). As I attend a small college without a fish collection, until this summer my research was based solely on literature. The Smithsonian collections have added a new dimension to this project, and allowed me to obtain a more complete understanding of these fishes. My specific focus this summer, pleuronectiform gill arch morphology, has not been previously published; therefore, I would never have been exposed to the information contained therein had I not had access to the NMNH fish collection and the insight of my advisors who noticed that an important aspect of their morphology had not been studied. As the Pleuronectiformes are a large order of fishes, a complete survey would have been impossible in 10 weeks; however, I have already arranged to take the specimens I have been examining back to my home institution to continue this work.
This experience has allowed me to determine whether I would like to continue studying systematic biology and provided me the opportunity to study something which has not previously been studied and to make a contribution to the scientific community at large. Had I not participated in the RTP, I might not have known how much I enjoy systematics, but also how attached I am to other aspects of the study of biology until after choosing a graduate school, at which point it would have been difficult to change disciplines. My time at the Smithsonian has strongly affected the course of my life, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making it possible.
Sincerely,
Amanda N. Cass
Research Training Program, 2003
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