Sophie Burrows is majoring in Wildlife Conservation in her Bachelor of Biological Science degree, and recently had the opportunity to contribute to the work of WA Museum through a McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship.
“I thought that the internship program would be a great opportunity and effective use of my elective space,” said Sophie.
“I worked on the Pilbara Biological Survey. Along with Cara, another intern, I helped sort and preserve reptile and amphibian specimens. Part of our project was creating and following a decision process for which specimens would be kept and added to WA Museum’s collection.
“It was rewarding knowing that our work was contributing to the collection, which students and scientists from around the world can look at and use for research,” she said.
Dr Kailah Thorn, Collections Manager (Herpetology) with WA Museum, said that Sophie and Cara fit in well with the technical team at the Museum, helping with important behind-the-scenes work.
“Sophie and Cara were integral to our department’s legacy registrations project – without them it would have been years before I could give these valuable specimens the time they deserve.
“The Pilbara Biological Survey was a mammoth undertaking in the early 2000s. The thousands of specimens that Sophie and Cara sorted through now fill gaps in our spatial records for endemic fauna, in an area of our state that has undergone rapid infrastructure development in the last 20 years,” Dr Thorn said.
Sophie said that through the internship she had learned about the size and scope of WA Museum’s research facilities, about the value of comprehensive collections, while also picking up skills for the future.
“The most challenging aspect of the internship was learning to handle large amounts of data, but the experience and the skills I developed will make me more employable.
“It was great assisting with something that will benefit researchers and staff at the Museum, and it was great to meet professional contacts.”