conservation medicine elective

The week after my avian elective I spent another week at the wildlife clinic, but this time in a didactic (lecture based) elective on conservation medicine. We covered two topics a day with various guest speakers (experts) from around the country. Most of the course grade was based on participation, and I was surprised that by the second day I had established myself as one of the most vocal in the class, and I also had knowledge of and had heard about every topic we discussed. It saddened me that getting an amazing job as a conservation veterinarian involves kissing ass and knowing the right people, which I am obviously not good at (example, my international program experience). Plus if not, then you get paid shit.

The various topics discussed included:
1. conservation medicine: the emerging new field (ask me about it sometime, I would love to tell you SO much about it)
2. chytrid fungal infection in amphibians (the fungus decimating out world's frog populations)
3. antibiotic resistance and its link to farm animals
4. lead toxicity (in wildlife and humans and pets)
5. bison and brucellosis transmission to cattle
6. sea birds as sentinals for health
7. the ocean's health and sea turtle conservation
8. wildlife trade and law enforcement

Then on the last day we had to choose a topic of our own to present a 1 page briefing and 5-8 page paper on. The topic had to be controversial and we would pretend that we were presenting it to congress and making an arguement for intervention (government participation) if warranted. We were given a list of 20 topics to choose from, or we could make up our own with the prof's permission. I was the only one of 8 students to choose my own topic: The Navy's SONAR Use and Its Impacts on Marine Mammals. I learned SO much. Mark Pokras had me email some colleagues of his to ask for articles on the subject, and they sent me 56 articles. I spent too long reading, and all thursday night writing. Mark reviewed my paper for me at 11pm on Thursday, which went over, well, ok. He basically tore my paper apart, and while I wanted to argue and tell him he was wrong, I knew he wasn't. He didn't comment on the subject matter at all, it was my way of writing. I write passive voice, and I am not a good arguer in articles...I use too many coulds and maybes. Mark helped me re-phrase the first 5 pages by getting rid of ambiguous statements. It was exhausting for both of us, but I think I was very mature about it and took his criticism well since it was deserved.

My presentation on Friday went GREAT! I volunteered to go first, and it was a huge hit. I had answers for ALL my profs and classmates' questions. Later in the day my prof pulled me aside to tell me I had done a superb job. And now I feel like an expert on NAVY SONAR use and Marine Mammals.....again, ask me about it sometime, I will tell you yet another reason why to hate the Bush Administration...at least you will if you like whales and dolphins!