28000 Marguerite Pkwy  Mission Viejo, CA  92692  USA

An Interview with Wendy Lee  2007-08 Graduate Aquarium & Aquacutlure Science

What is your job title?
My working title is Aquarist, at the Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Technically, I was hired through UCSD as a "Museum Preparator." My name badge says "aquarist,"
so I think it's safe to stick with that.

What are your responsibilities?
My basic responsibilities according to UCSD are:  "Assist with themaintenance of the specimens and associated life support systems in
the marine life exhibits and reserve systems at the Birch Aquarium atScripps Institution of Oceanography. Observes specimen health and
behavior and performs daily rounds, medicinal treatments, feedings,and assist senior staff with the basic care needed to keep them in
healthy condition. Help maintain exhibits to professional standards.Ensures that all life support systems are working correctly and
continuously. Keeps basic specimen observation records and assists incollection of specimens. Responsible for overseeing specimens
maintained in the education classrooms and assisting with husbandryneeds in the seahorse propagation program."

If I had to condense that and make it more specific, I'd say that I amresponsible for animal husbandry (feeding, placement, moving, etc),
and aesthetic as well as functional (life support stuff) maintenanceof the exhibits in the tropical gallery.

 What do you like most about your job?

Animals, of course!! The opportunity to work with great people andlearn with them, as well as from them

What courses, classes, lectures/lab/activities in our program is/was the most
beneficial to your current job?

I must say that I have yet to perfect the art of flawless algaescrubbing, however, many of the hands on
classes certainly trained mein that area.

I especially enjoyed the ecology class, with the background knowledge of how organisms are related, one can easily relate husbandry
techniques between similar animals.

Disease class was awesome because it was far more in depth than anything that I had read or seen in a hobbyist book.

Life support class was hard and mathy, but completely helpful becausemost girls I know don't know how to do plumbing! :) We might not be
loading our systems to the max, and we might not have to calculate theamount of total ammonia produced by .0002 grams of flake food
everyday, but knowing how to do that, and being able to when and if Iever need to makes all the difference.

What would you advise 'newbies' about if they were to aspire to do what you are doing right now.
Would you recommend the program, hobbies, degrees, etc…that would help them.

HECK YEAH, I'd recommend the program!! What kind of question is that, Julie?! :) I would tell them to "get their feet wet" by volunteering
at an aquarium, get a job at a tropical fish store, sign up for someclasses. Everybody has to start somewhere, for most of us, it starts
with a goldfish in a bowl. Take a class or two at a time to figure outwhere they want to go with their love for fish. It's ok to change your
mind, and try not to get discouraged if things don't work out as youdreamed they would. This is obviously not an easy field to find work
in, but they should realize that every little step that gets them closer to their goal provides them with unique opportunities and
experiences that culminate in something really cool. I know that'ssuper corny, but it's true!

 

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