Melissa Preston

Melissa Preston started her involvement in the MVZ in the spring of 2005, her sophomore year. From the spring of 2005 to the spring of 2007, she was a “tuco-wrangler” for Professor Eileen Lacey.  She also helped on CalDay for three years!  She spent the summer of 2006 working on Joseph Grinnell’s field notes for a historical study.  In the spring of 2007, she took both IB 104 and IB 146.  In the summer of 2006 and the spring of 2007 she also volunteered in the MVZ Prep Lab. Melissa graduated in the spring of 2007 with an IB major.

“What I liked about MVZ work was the hands on experience that prepared me for ‘real’ biology – field work, report writing, specimen preparation, experimental design, multi-disciplinary approaches. For example, I got to work on a history/social science project with Grinnell’s original field notes, which indirectly taught me a ton about the scientific method, naturalist note-taking, and other skills naturalists need to learn. I gained connections to professors, other students, lab assistants, and museum employees, which were invaluable in directing me towards my fields of interest and helping me figure out which opportunities were available.”