Mallory Bedwell

Mallory Bedwell got excited about volunteering in the MVZ after visiting us on our open house on CalDay 2006, when she was a freshman at Cal. In the fall of that year, she began volunteering in the curatorial area. She then moved on to volunteering in the Prep Lab in the spring of 2007 and continued working in the prep lab through the fall of 2007 where she specialized in preparing bird skeletons and study skins.  During April of 2007, she helped with the CalDay and interacted with children showing them science games and live animals all day long. She participated in a URAP under Professor Craig Moritz in Fall 2007, working for his graduate student, Juan Parra on color evolution in hummingbirds. Professor Moritz and Juan Parra encouraged her to attend lab meetings and she was included in the Moritz lab retreat to the Angelo Reserve. She is currently studying abroad in Australia this Spring 2008, but will be back in the summer when she can’t wait to start working in the MVZ again.

 

“Working at the MVZ has taught me a lot about research. Being around all the amazing curators and professors has really shown me how research is conducted, and how much more I still have to learn. It’s been really great to immerse myself in the museum and be exposed to such hard working, intelligent people. I have learned a lot about bird anatomy, a great skill for when I conduct my own research. I also have learned some terms and concepts from reading scientific papers and attending lab meetings. I have also learned to rely on myself, as I had to give a presentation on my own ‘mini project’ in front of some grad students and the director of the museum. Overall, it has been a great, out-of-the-classroom experience.”