Lisa Mitnick’s Post

In February I started my minor at the University of the Sunshine Coast, with the goal to expand my knowledge on Australian flora and ecosystems specifically, as well as understanding the legislation and unique ethical factors behind Environmental Management in Australia. These goals have now been met as I have completed my minor consisting of the following courses: - Plant Diversity and Ecology - Coastal and Marine Ecology - Integrated Environmental Management - Geographic IInformation Science and Technology. Next up: one final semester with coursework in the Netherlands and then a graduation internship back at QAAFI.

NEW BLOG! ✍ 📈 🌾 What Makes a Plant Invasive? The Invasion Process Check out our latest blog written by the CAIP Communications summer intern, Anelise Bullard! 👩💻 https://lnkd.in/e5DC8Htj #InvasionScience #InvasivePlants #ScienceBlog

NEW BLOG! ✍💥 🌿 How Do Invasive Plants Outcompete Native Species? Check out our latest blog written by the CAIP Communications summer intern, Anelise Bullard! 👩💻 https://lnkd.in/ewTvkM_W #InvasionScience #InvasivePlants #ScienceBlog

Now that I have shared with you the key to choosing the suitable wildlife degree for you, I'm excited to share some valuable insights from Chapter 9 of my book, "Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology, What It's Like and What You Need to Know." In this chapter, we delve into the critical topic of "Getting Valuable Experience at Any Age." Experience holds immense value in our careers - trumping grades and GRE scores. I share insights on how to secure research experience, the ins and outs of volunteering with a lab, effective ways to connect with professors, and understanding the nuances between internships, volunteer positions, and field research. But that's not all – we also explore additional elements beyond direct experience, such as crucial courses to consider, the impact of conferences, and the significance of scientific publications. I even offer guidance on obtaining experience independently if you haven't been accepted into formal programs. Here's a special opportunity just for you: When you acquire my book in 2023, you unlock a unique bonus – a complimentary mentoring session with me scheduled for January 2024. This presents an excellent chance to delve further into your wildlife biology dreams and acquire personalized insights tailored to your journey. Comment MENTORING24 below and I’ll send you the link. https://lnkd.in/gFitBzDc

NEW BLOG! ✍ 💬 🌿 What Makes a Plant Invasive? Understanding Terminology Check out our latest blog written by the CAIP Communications summer intern, Anelise Bullard! 👩💻 https://lnkd.in/e3rg3yCk #InvasivePlants #InvasiveSpecies #SciComm #ScienceTerminology

During my internship with the National Parks Board NBC, I had the opportunity to co-author a biodiversity record with my supervisor, Daniel Ng and fellow intern, Wayne Tan, on the mating behaviour of the Swamp forest crab 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢. Listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as a Critically Endangered species, ex-situ species recovery efforts began in December 2018 for this endemic species. While an earlier paper by Ng et al. (2023) describes the species' life history and ecology, there were only brief details on its mating behaviour. Hence, this record is significant as it is a more detailed supplement that fills a knowledge gap and further boosts breeding efforts for the Swamp forest crab. #speciesrecovery #biodiversity #crab

Last week, I started my internship at the University of ibadan zoo. I was placed in the primate section along with some of my other colleagues. As a conservationist, learning about primates and seeing how they behave in like terms with humans has been intriguing. Primates are a diverse and fascinating order of mammals that includes monkeys, apes and we humans. They are characterized by their complex behaviors, varied forms of locomotion, and highly developed brains. Many primate species are threatened and endangered by habitat loss, hunting and illegal trade(poaching). Do you know that PRIMATES are omnivorous animals? They eat fruits, leaves, and protein sources like beans, groundnuts. The primate section of the university of ibadan zoo contains patas monkeys, Mona monkeys, drill monkeys,green monkeys, baboons and chimpanzees. Why PRIMATES? 1. Primates, particularly apes like chimpanzees and gorillas, share about 98-99% of their DNA with humans. Studying them helps scientists understand the evolutionary process that has lead to the development of human traits. 2. The observations of the primate societies helps researchers understand the origin of human behavior and cognition. 3. Primates contribute greatly to medical research including vaccines, treatment for diseases due to their similarities with humans. 4. Primates can be an indicator of the health of our ecosystem. Primates are sensitive to environmental changes and their presence or absence signifies the state of the ecosystem. Throughout my internship in the University of Ibadan,Zoo; I'd be documenting my moments and exciting times with my LinkedIn friends. #conservation #nature #wildlife #primates #biodiversity #endangeredspecies #UniversityofIbadanzoo #UniversityofIbadan

Why apply for FRAME's Summer Studentship programme? One of our 2022 winners, Roma Fraser, shares it was the practical experience that allowed her to gain "an insight into how I am able to apply my scientific skills to promote the removal of animal-derived products in research." When people use terms like "in vitro," "cell culture" or "organoids", it's often assumed the research doesn't involve animals at all. But... That's not always the case. The substances required for cell culture are often extracted from other organisms, like foetal bovine serum, which has real ethical and animal welfare concerns about how it's collected and big scientific concerns about its use. Roma's summer studentship project is helping draw attention to this often under-discussed use of animals in research and contributing to a future where animal-free research is really animal-free. Find out more about the programme: https://lnkd.in/dWWUR7Mz #UndergraduateResearch #GrantFunding #NAMs #NATs

task 2 completed. By using the Iris dataset to develop a model that can classify iris flowers into different species based on their sepal and petal measurements. #codesoft #codesoftinternship

🦞 Check out MSc. Scholar Sakarias Malyenge's latest buddy, the lobster! Sakarias recently joined the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in Lüderitz on a lobster sampling and monitoring trip. It was an adventurous 3-day expedition where Sakarias could learn more about this fascinating animal. A few key takeaways from his trip: 🦞 Lobsters are tagged (with yellow tags) for mark and recapture studies to track migration and estimate lobster growth rates. Once tagged, they are thrown back at the same capture site for monitoring. Should they be thrown somewhere else, the coordinates of that site are recorded.  🦞 The only parameters recorded are, sex, cephalothorax length (the horizontal length from the forehead to the mid-back), and sexual maturity of females only.  🦞 Sakarias received training from the Ministry for Ichthyoplankton (fish eggs and larvae) and Lobster sampling during this visit. The Ichthyoplankton training took place in Swakopmund from June 10-14th, and the lobster sampling took place in Lüderitz from the 15th-17th of July. Sakarias' studies focus on monitoring these species' spawning and nursery processes; applying the knowledge he has gathered during these trainings will help him conduct kelp forest monitoring, and discover whether kelp is being used as a nursery ground. Capacity building is one of our key focus areas at the Kelp Forest Foundation. Our goal is to help upskill and deliver education opportunities to Namibian students in the areas of ocean education and research. #unlockingthepowerofkelp #oceanhealth #research #kelp #biodiversity