Adrienne Sussman
Simon’s Rock College of Bard
Great Barrington, MA 01230
To Members of the National Science Foundation:
As my internship at the National Museum of Natural History draws to a close, I feel it is necessary to express my thanks to you for making this summer possible. For the last seven weeks, I have participated in the museum’s Research Training Program, in which I conducted a research project under the guidance of a Smithsonian scientist while at the same time seeing first hand how a museum functions. Clichéd as it may sound, this experience has been life-altering for me. Not only did the program provide me with my first taste of scientific research, but I was also introduced to all of the fields of natural history and interacted with a group of amazing scientists and students.
For my research project, I worked with Dr. Richard Thorington, conducting a systematics study on South East Asian tri-colored squirrels. . This was my first research opportunity of any kind, and so it was very enlightening to me to see how a project is conducted from start to finish. I also appreciated being able to work with the huge museum collections, use equipment that was new to me, and, of course, work with Dr. Thorington. As a young student, having completed only one year of college, being thrown into such an intense research environment was challenging, but I felt extremely lucky for the opportunity.
While I have always had an interest in science, before my RTP experience, I still responded to questions about my college major by saying that I was “undeclared”. However, after this immersion in the scientific community, I am more confident that I am willing to devote myself to research. During the course of the program, I have learned about fields of natural history that I was previously oblivious to, such as mineral sciences and entomology, and I was also given the chance to attend the annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists, which further showed me the opportunities available in natural history research today and introduced me to even more accomplished scientists. All of this has been quite humbling, as it shows me just how much I still have to learn, but as a result, I am more inspired than ever to master this knowledge. I don’t think there is any way to adequately express my thanks for an experience that has shaped my future so strongly. I only hope that you continue to sponsor other students to participate in this amazing program!
Sincerely,
Adrienne Sussman
Research Training Program, 2004