Graduate Admission Committee:
During the last three years, I have spent nearly every spring and summer day submerged in the ocean. The vibrant colors of urchins, starfish, and anemones paint the canvas of my daily life. Fascination and anticipation tingles within, affecting me more than the plunge into the cold water. Being near and in the ocean has become my passion, but many factors have led to my interests in tide pool ecology, and they reach as far back as my teen years in Missouri. There I stared up at fossilized ocean organisms and wondered about the shallow ocean that supported them. My curiosity of the sea, eventually led me to Oregon where I quickly took up volunteering for Sustainable Ecosystems Institute. There, I spent my weekends wading in tide pools recording the amazing life within. Using quadrats and randomized sampling the team and I compared a heavily utilized recreational use tide pool to that of a relatively untouched control tide pool. Although this was my first real experience in scientific data collection it was not my last. I continued my work as an undergraduate by helping graduate students with their research. Most notable is my work with Dr. Michael Murphy. For Dr. Murphy and his graduate students I helped trap small vertebrates in green spaces around Portland, Oregon. They used this data to look at the diversity, and dispersal of organisms compared to green space size and usage, applying this research to determine land use. These two experiences led to my current research interests. Human interactions with the environment, more specifically, how human activities are affecting the abundance and diversity of organisms within rocky intertidal areas. I hope that my future research can be used by resource managers to make educated decisions regarding these sensitive habitats.
I feel that with my three years of professional experience in fisheries management for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and my earlier volunteer research, mentioned above, I have prepared myself to pursue a Graduate degree in Biology. My passion for the ocean environment amplifies my commitment to research and education. Humboldt State University is the perfect scholastic environment to explore my interests within. Not only is it located in a rocky intertidal area, perfect for research, but has the advantage of being a small program. This allows the faculty to develop strong relationships with students, a priority in selecting Humboldt. Overall I know that HSU would be a perfect fit into my life, and that I would be an asset to HSU.
Thank you for your time,
Krista Van Parys
not to mention that hsu is in a really good area for SURF!!!
During the last three years, I have spent nearly every spring and summer day submerged in the ocean. The vibrant colors of urchins, starfish, and anemones paint the canvas of my daily life. Fascination and anticipation tingles within, affecting me more than the plunge into the cold water. Being near and in the ocean has become my passion, but many factors have led to my interests in tide pool ecology, and they reach as far back as my teen years in Missouri. There I stared up at fossilized ocean organisms and wondered about the shallow ocean that supported them. My curiosity of the sea, eventually led me to Oregon where I quickly took up volunteering for Sustainable Ecosystems Institute. There, I spent my weekends wading in tide pools recording the amazing life within. Using quadrats and randomized sampling the team and I compared a heavily utilized recreational use tide pool to that of a relatively untouched control tide pool. Although this was my first real experience in scientific data collection it was not my last. I continued my work as an undergraduate by helping graduate students with their research. Most notable is my work with Dr. Michael Murphy. For Dr. Murphy and his graduate students I helped trap small vertebrates in green spaces around Portland, Oregon. They used this data to look at the diversity, and dispersal of organisms compared to green space size and usage, applying this research to determine land use. These two experiences led to my current research interests. Human interactions with the environment, more specifically, how human activities are affecting the abundance and diversity of organisms within rocky intertidal areas. I hope that my future research can be used by resource managers to make educated decisions regarding these sensitive habitats.
I feel that with my three years of professional experience in fisheries management for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and my earlier volunteer research, mentioned above, I have prepared myself to pursue a Graduate degree in Biology. My passion for the ocean environment amplifies my commitment to research and education. Humboldt State University is the perfect scholastic environment to explore my interests within. Not only is it located in a rocky intertidal area, perfect for research, but has the advantage of being a small program. This allows the faculty to develop strong relationships with students, a priority in selecting Humboldt. Overall I know that HSU would be a perfect fit into my life, and that I would be an asset to HSU.
Thank you for your time,
Krista Van Parys
not to mention that hsu is in a really good area for SURF!!!
thecowboy:
...!
nataskaput:
sorry i haven't gotten back to you yet, i call you tomorrow after the lifts close