mcguire center news A newsletter of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity n Florida Museum of Natural History n APRIL 2012 VOLUNTEER PROFILE: Jacqueline Kessler ____________________________ IN THIS ISSUE: n Volunteer Profiles How long have you been volunteering n at the Museum? Staff News I first volunteered last year. I chose to work there n Student News for my week-long eighth-grade internship. Then, over n Publications the summer, I worked in collections for the Junior Volunteer Program. FROM THE EDITOR: What made you start volunteering here? Volunteers play a vital role I have always been interested in science and have in many of the McGuire participated in several regional and state science fairs. Center’s research programs. Dr. Sourakov and Dr. Willmott invited me to work Every spring and fall, new with them on some very interesting projects, and I volunteers may interview for saw this as a great opportunity. positions to assist McGuire What do you do for the Museum? Center staff in the collections I worked in the butterfly collections. I pinned or laboratories. During the butterfly specimens from Ecuador, and arranged last two years, select students others into the display cases. I also helped with from area schools have also research on classification by preparing specimens been recruited to work in the for genetic analysis and creating detailed drawings collections as part of the Florida using a microscope. Museum’s Junior Volunteer What kind of training did you receive when you Program. These students help first started volunteering? researchers with their projects First, Dr. Sourakov would demonstrate how to do while learning to handle each project. I had to learn many processes including specimens and appreciate how to pin the butterflies, use the microscope, and Jacqueline Kessler prepares butterfly specimens. collections-based scientific properly label the specimens. Then, when I was research. Considering the comfortable with them, I was able to continue with dance classes at Pofahl’s Studios and perform in shortage of funds for paid the rest on my own. In butterfly collections, most of Next Generation, a student dance group. the training is specific to the individual projects. technical assistants, the What do you enjoy the most about number of research projects Has volunteering at the Museum helped you volunteering? and the size of the McGuire develop any new skills? It is a unique opportunity for me to learn directly Center’s collections, the Many of the tasks I had to do were very time- from scientists who have many years of experience. contributions of our volunteers consuming and challenging. I had to be extremely The questions they are trying to find answers to are are invaluable. patient in order to do everything accurately. One of new and interesting. my projects was organizing the butterflies into species Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for Readers have the opportunity based on appearance. At first glance, they all seemed people thinking about volunteering here? the same, but I learned to pay close attention to minor to meet some of these special I would advise people thinking about volunteering details to categorize them correctly. volunteers in this issue. here to check out the Junior Volunteer Program for the Questions about volunteer What activities are you involved in outside of summer. There are many different options as to the opportunities should be the Museum? positions, and the program enables people to choose a directed to Florida Museum I am a freshman in the International Baccalaureate variety of jobs or just one. Also, don’t be intimidated by Volunteer Coordinator Amy program at Eastside High School. The clubs I am the interview when you apply. The process is simple Hester, [email protected], involved in include the EHS Striders (for breast cancer and the people are really friendly. awareness) and Spanish Club. Outside of school, I take whose help with conducting the following interviews is greatly appreciated. MCGUIRE CENTER NEWS VOLUNTEER PROFILE: Michael McCowan ________________________ ISSN # 1938-3029 How long have you been volunteering at the usually walk up to every person and share!) Some Museum? of my other conventional hobbies include cooking Editorial Board: I’ve just passed the three-year mark in January. and trying new recipes, and gardening--which is a Christine M. Eliazar Jaret C. Daniels whole other world in itself. Thomas C. Emmel Jacqueline Y. Miller What made you start volunteering here? Andrei Sourakov Chad T. Douglas I grew up a country kid in the area inland of What do you enjoy the most about San Diego and I developed a deep appreciation for volunteering? Editor: Andrei Sourakov nature. Going to museums and zoos were always One of the most rewarding things in life is just [email protected] my favorite outing trips when I was young. When contributing time to a much bigger worthy cause. I re-located to Gainesville, I wanted to establish What I like about the Museum environment is Copy Editor: Paul Ramey some kind of link to UF because of my interest in that you’re constantly working around people who Graphic Designers: attending here to finish my degree. The Museum are very passionate about what they do; and it’s Elecia Crumpton was the “tractor beam” that I naturally gravitated just a welcome setting to be around. My biggest Leah Welch to. hindrance to the amount of time I can contribute What do you do for the Museum? to the Museum is my availability during the day; Photography: and I have to give honorable mention to Dr. James My duties here presently involve working in the Alexandr Chuvilin Hayden (the on-site curator for DPI) who I’ve Andrei Sourakov collections room assisting Dr. Sourakov in sorting coordinated with to go in and work late a couple Sebastián Padrón and accessioning a large moth collection from of nights during the week. It’s really given me an Kate Martin Papua New Guinea. Of the 34,000 moths in the available window to getting the project finished Keith Willmott collection, I’ve sorted them down to approximately Deborah Matthews around my demanding work schedule 4,083 species. I’m now in the process of pulling as McGuire Center Staff many species representatives as possible for DNA Badon, Jade, Graduate Asst. bar coding referencing. Barszczak, Lukasz, Technical Research Asst. What kind of training did you receive when Bliss, Andrew, Technical Research Asst. Checa, Maria Fernanda, Graduate Asst. you first started volunteering? Covell, Charles V., Curator of Lepidoptera I received a crash course in specimen collection Daniels, Jaret C., Asst. Curator & Asst. acquisitions and how they’re processed, and you Director of Education also get a broad introduction to Lepidoptera Douglas, Chad T., Technical Research Asst. taxonomy--which is a little overwhelming at first. Douglas, Colin M., Technical Research Asst. Doyle, Jonathan, Technical Research Asst. A big help to the particular tasks I perform is being Eliazar, Christine M., Program Asst. very meticulous with coordinated motor skills. Emmel, Thomas C., Director Has volunteering at the Museum helped you Gallice, Geoffrey, Graduate Asst. Hay-Roe, Mirian Medina, Research Associate develop any new skills? Hayden, James, FSCA Curator of Lepidoptera, Working in the refrigerated collection room Immature Collection helps you hone your cold tolerance (grin). I Heppner, John B., Curator of Lepidoptera eventually brought in a designated sorting jacket Huber, Stacey, Technical Research Asst. which makes the environment a lot more tolerable, Kawahara, Akito Y., Asst. Curator of Lepidoptera Koi, Sandy, Graduate Asst. but that just comes with the trade. What you Lewis, Delano, Asst. Research Scientist, Lepidoptera gradually start to pick up are the characteristics of Lott, Deborah Matthews, Biological Scientist the Lepidoptera families the collections managers Lukhtanov, Vladimir, Visiting Scientist & Curator use to distinguish one family from another. Some Miller, Jacqueline Y., Curator of Lepidoptera of the unique features of some of the genera are Ortíz, Elena, Graduate Asst. Michael McCowan sorts moths in the collections. Padron, Pablo, Graduate Asst. just so unusual, it makes them easy to remember. Park, K.T., Research Associate What activities are you involved in outside Pence, J. Akers, Research Associate Do you have any advice or words of wisdom of the Museum? Ponce, Francesca, Technical Research Asst. for people thinking about volunteering here? Ponce, Joan, Technical Research Asst. Outside of my volunteer time, I work as Romero, Cassandra, Technical Research Asst. a technician in a medical research lab at the If I was “fresh off the bus from out-of- Rossetti, Kristin, Technical Research Asst. College of Medicine where I take care of most town” with an interest in nature and keen on Sanchez, Stephanie, Technical Research Asst., of the lab management tasks. My boss, who’s volunteering at the Museum, I would do myself Endangered Species a neuroscientist, studies the neural circuitry the favor and spend some time on the Museum Schlachta, James B., Operations, Asst. Director Segebarth, Craig L., Technical Research Asst. involved in stress response and the mechanisms/ website and just marvel at all the different Segebarth, Ian K., Technical Research Asst. factors contributing to hypertension. Because departments. If you have an interest in a particular Sourakov, Andrei, Collections Coordinator it’s physiologically linked, it’s a field of research subject, I wouldn’t let that stop you from trying to Standridge, Matthew, Technical Research Asst. that doesn’t really conform to the 9-5 time frame; connect with one of the staff members through the Thomas, Kelly, Technical Research Asst. and the duration of our experiments typically volunteer coordinator about a possible position Turner, J.D., Research Associate Turner, Nancy C., Research Associate last weeks and months instead of hours and days.