Behind the Scenes as an intern at the Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics

I am currently studying a Master of Science, majoring in forensic science, at the University of Technology Sydney. During my university break I decided to gain some more insight into wildlife forensics and applied for an internship at the Australian Museum in the Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics. After being accepted, Marissa (a university exchange student from America) and I embarked on the most exciting four week adventure.

Being an intern at the Centre for Wildlife Genomics often means that you have to fulfil a lot of very different roles all in the same day. One minute Marissa and I would be quantifying DNA concentrations of koala samples in the laboratory, and then the next minute wrapping presents for international delegates attending upcoming conferences. On one particular day, while Marissa and I were smearing chicken liver and feathers on a plane to simulate the consequences of a birdstrike for an instructional video, we agreed that you really had to expect the unexpected when interning at the Australian Museum.

My time at the Australian Museum has helped me gain invaluable skills that will assist me in building a promising career once I graduate from university.

Prue Armstrong
Intern, Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics

Acknowledgements:
I really appreciate the time and effort that all the staff put in to help Marissa and I learn as much as possible during our time in the Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics. I especially wanted to thank Dr Rebecca Johnson for giving me the opportunity to intern in her laboratory and also to Dr Greta Frankham, Dr Melissa Danks, Andrew King and Scott Ginn for their expertise and invaluable assistance during their very busy lives as part of the Australian Centre for Wildlife Genomics at the Australian Museum.