S-STEM Scholar Kristi Morrison's Blog

Today marks the 2nd week of online classes at ASU due to COVID-19. This change has impacted all of my classes very differently. Currently, my lab classes are very difficult to get a grasp on and conducting research has been halted. Other classes have adjusted their assignments to be more flexible and easier to manage. I find this time to be challenging because I am worried for my family and friends and what will happen as a result of all of this. School is a nice distraction but its kind of hard to find motivation for my classes and also it sometimes feels like an added pressure to an already highly stressed time. On a positive note, my 12 week old puppy is getting much more deserved attention. Its been fun to observe her personality evolve as she gets older.

Blog #2 My fish ecology course has started to ramp up and we have finally came up with a research question. With the data we have been given for the past decade, we wanted to know if there is a change in catch per unit of effort over time and fork length. We are interested in answering this research question because it can give us insight into what life stage they are in and if their population is stable. Like I've said in the last blog, Atlantic Sturgeon are an engendered species but have made a resurgence in the past few years so whatever data we can discover to protect this species is critical. We are currently learning how to implement statistical analysis to our data to determine if there is a significant relationship between CPUE and fork length. We know that fish are most abundant in the summer months and we know that they are juveniles. We now just need to tie it all together and start writing our manuscripts.

LSC 394: STEM Success (2020 Spring) Blog #1 Spring 2020 has started off stellar. We had a 3 day weekend due to MLK day, so I spent my holiday in Sedona. My birthday is next week, so my fiancee took me on a mountain bike tour. I was apprehensive at first, but took to the sport smoothly. Now, I want ride everyday and tackle every trail Arizona has to offer.  My fish ecology research class is very interesting. I am part of a group that is researching data on Atlantic Sturgeon in the Saco River along northeastern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine. Atlantic Sturgeon are an engendered species but have made a resurgence in the past few years. We haven't come up with our research question yet, as we are in the early stages of shifting through all the data Dr. Sulikowski and his team has gathered. I look forward to learning more about these prehistoric species and developing a research hypothesis.  

  If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your "freshman self" or your "first-day-at-ASU self"? If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to be easier on myself. I've pushed myself to take heavy course loads so that I can graduate as quick as possible. But I have learned that if I focus on now instead of the future I am more satisfied with the results.  

     How have your goals changed over the time since you started to school until now?  Have the changes been big or small?  Early in my academia I thought I wanted to be a wildlife biologist but after taking a summer class in Tahiti I quickly learned I wasn't motivated by animal behavior. I also did a summer internship at a wildlife sanctuary and learned that I get grossed out by blood and guts. So as I progress through my classes I have adapted and fine tuned my interests through trial and error. 

What is your "dream job"?  Why is this your dream job?  Has this always been your goal? My dream job is to work in a wildlife ecology research lab. I want to be apart of a team that promotes the understanding of ecological factors that  affects wildlife in a laboratory setting. This has kind of been a goal of mine, I’ve always wanted to be an environmental scientist but I never knew which field I wanted to pursue as a career. 

   Why did you choose a STEM field? What interests you about STEM fields?     I chose to pursue a degree in Environmental Science because I am passionate about protecting nature. I grew up playing in the dirt and swimming in the Mississippi River so I have been naturally drawn to the outdoors. I have lived and worked in some very biodiverse places and I am motivated to preserve our plants and animals for generations to come. I like that I have a lot of flexibility in STEM fields. I can work in policy, education, research labs, non-profits and government positions. I really like science and math classes as well. They are challenging but rewarding.