10 Reasons Why You Should Do A Research Internship Abroad
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10 Reasons Why You Should Do A Research Internship Abroad

Learn from my experiences and way too many memes

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10 Reasons Why You Should Do A Research Internship Abroad
Rebecca Flowers

I worked as a research intern in O Grove, Spain this summer and, as a consequence, have become a research abroad enthusiast! It was an incredibly valuable experience that I will try to manipulate everyone I know into doing, including you! So here are my 10 reasons why you should do a research internship abroad:

1. Travel.


One of the most obvious reasons to conduct research or do a research internship abroad is in the name itself. Working abroad means travel, which in turn means encountering new cultures, new tastes and sounds and smells you’ve never experienced before. For me, this meant living in an idyllic fishing town on the coast of Spain for a month, where I learned to differentiate between types of fishing boats for research surveys, met the pirate-like captains who shared the dock with our research boat, and walked through a weekly fish market filled with the plentiful multitude of the week’s catch and the pervasive smell of fish ink. O Grove was a town far from the New York City I know and love, and I may never have experienced the simple joys of this kind of fishing life without my internship. It gave me greater appreciation for the fishing community as a researcher, because it helped me understand that we must work with fishermen to conserve marine species rather than fight against them. It’s a valuable lesson, especially if I hope to work in marine biology in the future. Such are the things new cultures can teach you.

2. Awesome people who share your interests!

As I wrote in my last blog about my internship, I met some amazing interns who really made our apartment in O Grove seem like a second home, filled with laughter and some (slightly) repetitive singing. One of the things that brought us together though, more than just the internship itself, was our collective shared interest in marine science, conservation, ecology, and animal behavior. We were all at different stages in our academic careers, and many of us had different plans: some to work in conservation, some to become marine mammal researchers in their own countries, some just to work in the marine sciences in general. Our common love for the subject, though, had attracted each of us to the internship, and connected us once we had met. I loved walking on the beach with my fellow biologists, all of us sharing little tidbits of our knowledge of the ecosystem as we walked. It seemed like a true scientific community, cooperative and helpful and inclusive of all people and ideas. I loved being around people who understood my passions. It made me feel supported and made my ambitions seem legitimate. It’s hard to describe but it’s wonderful, one of the main reasons I would recommend any scientific internship, period.


3. Independence.

For some interns (like me), going abroad may bring them to an entirely new level of independence. At college, we’re often spoiled by the (sometimes) conveniently located dining halls that allow us access to a hot meal with only a meal swipe, after which we go home to our dorm rooms our parents help us set up. It’s more independent than living at home, but we’re nowhere near full adults yet. And though I think I still haven’t figured out how to be an adult yet, the experience of traveling and living abroad by myself certainly felt like a step in the right direction. I had never traveled alone before, especially not to a country in which I knew absolutely no one. It helped that I had an academic background in Spanish, but it was scary realizing that if I didn’t get on the right bus or missed my flight, my mother wouldn’t immediately be able to come and save me. And that would also be the case if I got sick or seriously injured. My parents would of course come as quickly as possible, but I was more isolated than I had been before, no longer quite as coddled as by my college. I have to admit that traveling to O Grove, and maybe the first week of being there, were therefore not entirely pleasant, and were often scary and uncertain. But I think they really helped me grow as a person, and realize that I can be independent, and I have the fortitude and will to survive and not fall completely flat on my face in a foreign country. I would have to pick my own self up. And this is a valuable lesson for college students just trying to find their way in the world.


4. Living in super close quarters.

Similarly to independence, I think that learning to cope and live with other interns in very close quarters for a significant period of time was very valuable to me. Of course, I got some experience with this at college, but, with my internship in particular, we were at times living in an apartment occupied by 10 people, and I was living with two other people in my room. Now I realize this might be paradise to some people with freshmen dorm nightmares of one room quadruples, but I was relatively spoiled in my freshman dorm, living in a three room double. It was therefore a good learning experience for me to live and work in such a small environment, cleaning the apartment and cooking together. And it really brought all of us interns closer, so it is an experience I would recommend to anyone.


5. A unique scientific perspective.

A scientist in a foreign country will always have a slightly different perspective than one in the United States. They’ve often worked through different systems of education, and therefore may have been taught slightly different research techniques. If biologists, they have also probably studied different sets of species and different kinds of ecosystems than occur in the U.S. Dr. Bruno Díaz Lopez, the director of my internship at the BDRI, for example, pioneered research on the opportunistic feeding behaviors of bottlenose dolphins because of a chance discovery of dolphins frequenting an aquaculture farm. He is one of the world’s foremost experts on the subject, and, as an intern, I gained valuable perspective in the skills necessary to scientifically evaluate marine mammal behavior, and the challenges associated with it. In any future research, I can therefore incorporate his perspective and understanding into my own scientific research by, for example, applying his techniques to studying feeding behavior in sharks, if that’s what I pursue. And I probably would not have learned the same techniques were I working in the U.S. My internship abroad therefore gave me a more global perspective to the different approaches to science that I can apply later, which would be the case with almost any other internship abroad.


6. It looks good on your résumé / CV.

This is a fairly superficial reason to do a research internship abroad, but an important one all the same. I’m a big believer in only doing extracurriculars, activities, classes, etc. that interest you instead of padding your resume with what you think future schools or employers will like. However, anyone who knows me knows I worry constantly, and that résumé / CV always sits quietly in the back of my mind. I therefore include this reason for the other worriers out there – a research internship abroad gives you a different (and more global) scientific perspective than the average joe, and therefore helps you stand out. Still, I urge you to take an internship in something you’re actually interested in! Otherwise, you will be miserable and I can’t take responsibility for that!


7. It’s important for your scientific research in the future.

In the sciences, and in many academic fields, doing research may be essential for what you want to study. For example, an aspiring ecologist may find themselves in Tanzania because they’re fascinated by the distribution patterns of wild dogs in the Serengeti. A research internship as an undergraduate prepares you for this kind of research in the future, because you have the skills to thrive in a foreign culture, and you have learned a variety of techniques, both at home and abroad, you can apply to a new research study. You’re also probably more likely to get a grant to do this kind of research, possibly as a graduate or post-doctoral student if that is your goal, if you have learned the techniques associated with it under an experienced professional in the field, which sometimes means a professional in a foreign country.


8. New species.

For biologists, at least, this is an important consideration. When you do a research internship abroad, you are bound to encounter new species and unique ecosystems you would never have found before. For example, in my internship in O Grove, one of our research topics was the nature of dolphin interactions with the bateas, floating pontoons on which fishermen cultivate mussels. The bateas create nutrient-rich environments that attract small fish, which also like to hide between the ropes of mussels. These fish attract larger fish, which, in turn, attract the dolphins. This is an ecosystem I simply would never have been able to study in the U.S.


9. Making connections in the academic community.

This is probably one of the most important benefits of a research internship abroad – you will meet scientists around the globe who are leaders in their respective fields, who now know you and can recommend you to their important connections. And some fields are so specific that everyone knows everyone else in them, so if you have a recommendation from just one of these people, your opportunity of breaking into that field is far greater. Plus, it’s just fun to meet people who like what you like, and they’re excited to meet engaged, excited interns.

10. So many opportunities!

I found my internship with the BDRI through a simple Google search trying to find something in marine biology to do over the summer. There are so many wonderful opportunities just waiting for you to find them through a lazy google search too! For example, after a quick search just now, I found a chemistry internship in Copenhagen (https://panrimo.com/chemistry/copenhagen/summer). Go forth and find your own experience abroad, my young travelers!

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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