Alexis Lyons: Week 1 Recap

The first week of the REEU internship has been intense but incredibly interesting. I have done research projects in previous classes for my major, but not doing a project for a grade is a bit intimidating. In classes, the project structure is already laid out for you, but doing research through the internship and potentially a future career is a lot more complex.

This week was all about training. We did safety, pesticide use, and CPR training. I had never done CPR before so that was something new and interesting. We also incorporated some time management training into our schedule this week and it has helped immensely. Although, it does make me a little anxious seeing all the things I have to do in such a short amount of time. Eight weeks isn't all that long when you look at it. My partner and I started scoping out places to set up camera traps for our project and I look forward to seeing if we catch any animals on camera.

This past Sunday we went to the Indiana Dunes National Park. I had never been there before, although I had heard great things about it. To see the variety of habitat types which are very rarely found in other parts of the world was incredible! I went to the beach for the first time and I finally understood people's fascination with the beach. I could have sat there all day just taking it in. We could see Chicago in the distance and it put things into perspective for me when I really needed it. I can't wait to go back!