Mae Watson

Hello! My name is Mae Watson and I am a Senior studying Wildlife and Forestry at Purdue University. I am in the reptiles and amphibians (aka herps) group for the REEU Internship. I chose to study Wildlife and Forestry because I did not want a lifetime in an office. I love the outdoors, science, traveling, working with animals, and a challenge. My goal is to become a wildlife biologist. After I graduate, I want to spend a few years working as field technician to gain professional experience and to explore more of my interests before I go into a graduate school program. The REEU internship is a great stepping stone that will help me achieve my goals. I am trying to gain a diverse range of field and research experience. I have always had a strong interest in herps but haven’t had much experience working with them. This internship will teach me new research techniques and help me gain experience with an unfamiliar taxon.

In addition, I am excited to create and conduct my own research project. I have volunteered a lot on other people’s research and I enjoyed it; however, I am excited to have the opportunity to research my own question. This will also be valuable experience I could use in graduate school. Overall, I think this program will provide me with some excellent experiences and I am exited to be a part of it.