Comments/suggestions on my first SOP (biology)?
Please describe your previous academic work in your proposed field of study and include a personal statement regarding your goals for graduate study and a professional career. In your response, list memberships in honor societies and professional organizations; scholarships, prizes, honors, or other recognition; and give titles of publications, major papers, or theses of which you are author or co-author (if published, give citation). Please limit your response to 1000 words.
As a Biological Sciences major at Really Awesome University I gained valuable experience in the laboratory and in the field. I graduated in December 2006. During my final semester I was taking courses such as biochemistry, zoology, and organic chemistry, writing a senior essay that was titled Genetics of Kabuki Syndrome and was an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Botany at the time. I excelled during this time where I had a full and difficult schedule and found my place on the Dean's list with a GPA of 3.85.
During my time at Awesome Tech I gained experience in studying aquatic ecology. My experience includes scale and otolith analysis, juvenile and adult fish identification, and dissection. I have experience with electrofishing and the use of underwater cameras. I have collected data from six lakes including Keweenaw Bay via boat in often challenging weather conditions. At these lakes I collected zooplankton for later identification. Water samples were taken to determine the amount of dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll in the water, as well as testing the water samples for pH and conductivity using chemistry instead of meters. I am familiar with limnology field equipment such as Van Dorn bottles, plankton nets, Secchi disks, bottom dredges, messengers, and more.
As a subset of aquatic ecology I have also studied wetlands. Among other things, I have collected plant samples for later identification. I learned and applied taking population densities of plants and animals thru the use of quadrats. I have delineated a wetland with a group of my peers over the course of a semester based on identifying wetland soil, hydrology, and plant life. Using this knowledge and more I was able to assess the health of wetland areas.
In the lab I have a variety of experience. This includes over 25 dissections on a diverse selection of species of fish, invertebrates, as well as many other vertebrates. I have over 5 semesters of experience working with chemistry in the lab. I am familiar with organic chemistry glassware as well as different laboratory equipment such as the IR spectrometer. Other lab experience includes working with DNA samples and being a teaching assistant for a botany lab.
The lab was Dr. Prof Smith's botany laboratory. This experience allowed me to interact with and teach a set of students over a semester. I kept track of their skill points and helped to grade their work, tracked their progress and helped them with concepts they didn't grasp, kept the professor informed of their progress, instructed them in proper lab techniques, and took them into the field for instruction.
Scholarships I received during my time at RAU included the Awesome Competitive Scholarship (2001-2006), the University Student Award (2003-2006) and the Awesome Merit Award (2001-2002).
I grew up on the shores of Lake Superior and have always had an affinity for the water. Aquatic ecology is my main interest and this includes everything from the algae in the water to the fish to the water itself. My goals for graduate study are to eventually get my Ph.D. and become a research professor. Working at the Super Cool National Wildlife Refuge on Earth was a fantastic experience for me. It allowed me to see the practical application of biology in different forms, and gave me diverse experiences from working in salt marshes to managing threatened shorebirds. Receiving my M.S. will allow me to get the research experience in an academic environment that I need to move forward with my career.
In the long term, I would love to research species such as the sturgeon or cuttlefish. I became interested in the sturgeon while working with Dr. Prof Sturgeon. Her enthusiasm for this particular fish was contagious, and I too fell in love this adorable fish. My interest in cuttlefish is one that I have had for many years. I have a general love for aquatic invertebrates, especially cephalopods. Their intelligence is something that I think is worthy of study. A recent study has shown that cuttlefish embryos learn to distinguish prey before they even hatch, having fully developed eyes and translucent shells. The possibility that they have a complex language of body positioning and coloring is also endlessly fascinating to me. I think that the possibilities are limitless for research topics in these areas.
I believe that once I have done research in academia I will be in the position to study something in one of these fields. I have already been in contact with Dr. Prof Prospective about his program evaluating the spatial variability of stream mussel assemblages and he believes that I might be a good fit for his program.
As a Biological Sciences major at Really Awesome University I gained valuable experience in the laboratory and in the field. I graduated in December 2006. During my final semester I was taking courses such as biochemistry, zoology, and organic chemistry, writing a senior essay that was titled Genetics of Kabuki Syndrome and was an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Botany at the time. I excelled during this time where I had a full and difficult schedule and found my place on the Dean's list with a GPA of 3.85.
During my time at Awesome Tech I gained experience in studying aquatic ecology. My experience includes scale and otolith analysis, juvenile and adult fish identification, and dissection. I have experience with electrofishing and the use of underwater cameras. I have collected data from six lakes including Keweenaw Bay via boat in often challenging weather conditions. At these lakes I collected zooplankton for later identification. Water samples were taken to determine the amount of dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll in the water, as well as testing the water samples for pH and conductivity using chemistry instead of meters. I am familiar with limnology field equipment such as Van Dorn bottles, plankton nets, Secchi disks, bottom dredges, messengers, and more.
As a subset of aquatic ecology I have also studied wetlands. Among other things, I have collected plant samples for later identification. I learned and applied taking population densities of plants and animals thru the use of quadrats. I have delineated a wetland with a group of my peers over the course of a semester based on identifying wetland soil, hydrology, and plant life. Using this knowledge and more I was able to assess the health of wetland areas.
In the lab I have a variety of experience. This includes over 25 dissections on a diverse selection of species of fish, invertebrates, as well as many other vertebrates. I have over 5 semesters of experience working with chemistry in the lab. I am familiar with organic chemistry glassware as well as different laboratory equipment such as the IR spectrometer. Other lab experience includes working with DNA samples and being a teaching assistant for a botany lab.
The lab was Dr. Prof Smith's botany laboratory. This experience allowed me to interact with and teach a set of students over a semester. I kept track of their skill points and helped to grade their work, tracked their progress and helped them with concepts they didn't grasp, kept the professor informed of their progress, instructed them in proper lab techniques, and took them into the field for instruction.
Scholarships I received during my time at RAU included the Awesome Competitive Scholarship (2001-2006), the University Student Award (2003-2006) and the Awesome Merit Award (2001-2002).
I grew up on the shores of Lake Superior and have always had an affinity for the water. Aquatic ecology is my main interest and this includes everything from the algae in the water to the fish to the water itself. My goals for graduate study are to eventually get my Ph.D. and become a research professor. Working at the Super Cool National Wildlife Refuge on Earth was a fantastic experience for me. It allowed me to see the practical application of biology in different forms, and gave me diverse experiences from working in salt marshes to managing threatened shorebirds. Receiving my M.S. will allow me to get the research experience in an academic environment that I need to move forward with my career.
In the long term, I would love to research species such as the sturgeon or cuttlefish. I became interested in the sturgeon while working with Dr. Prof Sturgeon. Her enthusiasm for this particular fish was contagious, and I too fell in love this adorable fish. My interest in cuttlefish is one that I have had for many years. I have a general love for aquatic invertebrates, especially cephalopods. Their intelligence is something that I think is worthy of study. A recent study has shown that cuttlefish embryos learn to distinguish prey before they even hatch, having fully developed eyes and translucent shells. The possibility that they have a complex language of body positioning and coloring is also endlessly fascinating to me. I think that the possibilities are limitless for research topics in these areas.
I believe that once I have done research in academia I will be in the position to study something in one of these fields. I have already been in contact with Dr. Prof Prospective about his program evaluating the spatial variability of stream mussel assemblages and he believes that I might be a good fit for his program.