1 August, 2003
Raul Diaz
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Dear National Science Foundation REU program,
The opportunity that you have granted me this summer as a summer Research Training Program intern at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum has greatly added to my molding as a scientist and has only served to kindle my passion for the field of evolutionary biology and herpetology. I have had a great chance to learn as well as question and seek answers, and for me that is the foundation which science builds its knowledge.
This opportunity has given me a direct taste for what my future intended
career as a curator and/or university professor will entail. This was hard
to do at a large university where you are simply a serial number on campus
instead of a pre-professional. The Smithsonian community was incredibly accepting
of its RTP interns and that, to me, made the entire summer experience even
more worthwhile. This made working with the huge and old collections a more
enjoyable experience.
Behind the scenes tours of departments other than the one I was working in
(reptiles and amphibians) also played with my scientific curiosity as there
were fields to which I had never been exposed to (such as Anthropology, Entomology,
and Invertebrate Zoology). Not only were the specimens fascinating, but also
the faculty doing research in those disciplines were able to give us fun and
informative tours that highlighted some of their very own research. I have
come out of the program with an interest in other fields, especially in anthropology.
A million thanks for your funding this summer. I did not join this program
because I wanted something to do this summer, but rather because I wanted
to get my hands deep into a research project I would gain a lot from and that
is just what happened. It would not have been possible without your funding.
I am now striving for a possible position as a future staff member of the
reptiles and amphibians department of the Smithsonian.
Sincerely,
Raul Diaz
Research Training Program, 2003
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