Meet the Interns

Didn't think I'd be by myself all summer, did you? 

The other two interns arrive this week, and as their names very well could be popping up in posts, I figured I should introduce them (as I neglected to do last year. Oops. Smaller crowd this year, its easier.)

On the left is Kaitlyn, and on the right is Mackenzie (also known as Mac and as of this summer to be known as Big Mac.)

So first, let's talk to Kaitlyn!

Me: So what brought you to Cleveland- Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry?

Kaitlyn: Oh man... Well. Since I was about... since I was in elementary school we had dinosaurs and Pangea introduced to us for the first time, and trying to imagine... it was so cool I promised myself that one day I would get to do paleontology.

As an undergraduate, I got into marine invertebrate paleontology. And then I ended up swerving off to igneous petrology and volcanology in grad school, which was wonderful.

(Meanwhile, I'm giving me a good ol' southern head shake. To each her own I suppose...)

Along those years of grad school, I always felt a calling for paleontology. And as this opportunity came, it was super excited, and for now I'm back and I love it!

Me: How are you liking it so far?

Kaitlyn: Oh...

Me: I know, big questions. More fun this way.

Kaitlyn: Well, its really awesome to work at the site, and communicate to the public just how special and enigmatic the quarry is. Its really a joy, I guess to be able to be in a place of communicating the importance of such a resource that's.... I don't know, its so valuable because the public can engage in and ponder in the mystery with us...

Plus, the geology EVERYWHERE is so great!

And I saw my first hoodoo and beautiful cross bedding, and they're not in a text book.

Me:So much better this way. And what's your educational background?

Kaitlyn: All the way?

Emily: Whatever you want

Kaitlyn: As I entered undergrad, I imagined myself being incredibly passionate about what i was studying, and it took a little over a year to come to that, and it was geology. In reality it was a childhood passion that I got to return to, and after a week long field trip I changed my major and transferred to a school where I could pursue a degree in... geoscience with an emphasis in geology. I decided to get into paleontology research, and took up a zoology minor so I could still pursue that... and one of my favorite trips was down to San salvador island, to study archeology and ecology. 

So I was doing paleontology research, only I only had four semesters of just geology, but I got to do some paleontology and zoology and genetics research. But then I took petrology...

Me: (Thinking: oh boy...)

Kaitlyn: and I didn't want to leave my hard rocks behind. So I decided to study igneous...! Which eventually led me to... the sunny side of Washington state, where I got to study a volcano called Mt. Etna in Sicily, Italy, and one day I will visit it.

Me: You mentioned adding carbonates to your research.

Kaitlyn: Its going to be published, but one of the most surprising things was that... I didn't want to leave carbonate geology behind (a favorite since I was 8). With igneous petrology it normally doesn't get to withstand the temperatures, but I got to work with them in the end and found some really interesting results at the end, which really spurred my passion for both. Its broadened my understanding of geology in ways that I didn't anticipate, which has been so rewarding educationally and personally. Now to be able to be done with my masters degree... and jump back into the dinosaurs... this is the year of the volcanoes and dinosaurs! I'm not sure what's next, but this is a very exciting start!

Me:  So you didn't start out to study dinosaurs.

Kaitlyn:  NOPE. I liked them. I like everything in geology.

Me: That hurts me as a biology major a little bit.

Kaitlyn: Hey, I did that too! Coral reef, ocean acidification, formanifera, correlating rock layers.... I did like that. And the fossils in sed strat.... I'd be like LET ME LOOK AT YOUR FOSSILS!

Wait, did you add that?

Me: You'll see.

 Are you planning to keep going with school?

Kaitlyn: Unknown right now, but inevitably I think I will because I really, really love it. We'll see.

Me: So, ideally, and i know you're doing job searches as we sit here, what's next?

Kaitlyn: You know, I had no idea I'd be working with dinosaurs, so.... or that I'd be working with volcanoes for three years... the road is unknown, but there's exciting things in store and I'm going to follow where my passion leads me and I'm thankful for the opportunities I've had so far. I want to eventually be in Minnesota but... I'll make it home some day.

Me: More immediately, so hopefully this is easier, what are you most excited for this summer?

Kaitlyn: I'm really looking forward to engaging with the public, meeting new people, exploring new places, and learning more about geology and paleontology, and being enriched in this area as a geologist and as a person, and for the growth... your soul is enriched by things like this, where you explore and you learn...the geology... the scenery.... the memories that I'll get to carry with me.

Me: You make me sound so emotionally unattached to this.

Kaitlyn: I got a poets heart.

Me: Planning any awesome side trips while you're here? And what have you done so far?

Kaitlyn: I jumped into a lake and went down a floating water slide! The drive down here was incredible, I had to stop hopping out of my car to see everything because as soon as i entered utah it was just astounding already, and so many beautiful places. I'm going to explore locally and throughout the state, and maybe into Arizona, and all five national parks here. I'm sure I'll be back someday because theres no way i can do everything, but i'm glad I have a summer at least.

Me: I still think you're crazy for jumping into that lake.

Kaitlyn: It was awesome!

Me: Moving away from science and the summer... where is home?

Kaitlyn:...sigh

Me: Complicated I know.

Kaitlyn: Well I was born and raised in lake country of beautiful Minnesota.

Me: Not really a lot of geology there. 

Kaitlyn: Actually there's some really beautiful pristine geology there. It actually was where I was inspired to be a geologist as a child on trips, because the rocks along the shore of Lake Superior....wow...

Me: So, other than jumping into freezing lakes, what was the craziest thing you've done so far?

Kaitlyn: Well. there was once a time I was in the Austrian alps.... we were at a spa where they um... don't wear any clothing... and we went in anyway. It was a cool cultural experience. But actually, the craziest thing was moving out to Washington state and not knowing anyone and pursuing that dream of igneous petrology, and then coming out here. WOO! FIELD TRIP!

Those were nice saunas, though...

Me: Expecting to top that any time soon? 

Kaitlyn: Oh...I'm sure there'll be adventures out here, especially if my cousin comes out here...

Me: well you'll have to leave me out of any more... um... spas... Ok?

OK. Now Mackenzie

Me: So Big Mac... What brought you out here?

Mac: Job here. 

I got interested in vertebrate anatomy after reading The Universe Within Us last spring. I thought there was something kind of beautiful about the stars and evolution and it brought a continuity that I hadn't seen before. It's one continuous process, and the dinosaurs really don't look so different from us. I took some classes in comparative anatomy, and loved it even more. There's something about mortality... it helps me come to terms with the fact that I'm just a blip in a billions of years universe.... its really cool. So yeah, I took a few classes, and got into independent research and got obsessed. Then I found the geocorps internships on a whim and thought I'd try paleontology for a while. 

I always loved dinosaurs, though. older sister took to UC davis dinosaur class, and i'd just yell out "DINOSAUR" rediscovering that part about yourself, ancient to me as ancient as dinosaurs are.

Me: How are you liking it so far?

Mac: I'm at that point where I really like it, but I'm scared to admit it because it could wear off, but that's probably not going to happen. Its ok to be excited, its like three months of insane Christmas! Its so different from where I grew up. But there is an ending to it, but there's not pressure to cram things in.... the most beautiful things are fleeting, like sunsets....

and you guys are alright too.

Me: What was your educational background, and what do you think is next?

Mac: I have a cognitive science degree with a focus in evolution and a biology degree. Mike was like "WHAT are you doing applying for this position?"

I have a computer programming background and psychology, and now biology.... but there's so much continuity between them.

Me: What is cognitive science anyway?

Mac: Its like a hard version of psychology, An in between of neuroscience and psychology.... my research was on facial recognition... we also did color perception and patterns, and made people see real motion in random dots. That's it, processes of the brain... based on what you told people, they saw different things...

So we studied how long that effect was and why.

And that has to do with what I'm doing now because... you change through life. Your emotion changes, your self changes, and that ties to evolution on the most micro scale. You'll be a little bit of a different person after every experience... and being dynamic is intriguing because nothing is static. Like rocks.

Me: That's awesome, I didn't know that existed as a science

Mac: We did a lot of computer simulation, which carried over from my biology research... but I still feel like I know nothing at all, and when I got out of college I feel like I learned a lot but... there are more questions... If I had the opportunity I would chase education until I die. Just learning, I don't know.... I just really like the process of learning, its so fascinating... and its really hard when learning is your passion because you could be broke your whole life, but rich with knowledge.

Me: What are you looking forward to most this summer?

Mac:This summer? I don't know... tomorrow. I'm the type of person thats really looking forward to everything all the time... the two months before I got here I was really looking forward to it, and now that I'm here... I'm excited all day. I'm excited tomorrow to just meet the folks from Wisconson. Every day I wake up.... awake... weird because I normally sleep past two...

Me: Planning any awesome side trips while you're here? And what have you done so far?

Mac: Side trips...I've got this crazy fantasy about sleeping in my hammock one night in the San Rafael Swell. Other than that, I have no expectations. I feel like they'll come. And when they're presented I'll take it. I don't picture myself going to Zion, too many people. I want to go a day without talking to people and... just be a human being, not a robot.. so I can reflect and think about what I'm doing.

I want to go to Salt Lake City at some point, and stay over night and see the city... There's a city part of me.

Me: Seems opposite of the rest of what you said.

Mac: I want both of those! ...look at my degree choices.... I like of lot of things. Like I like a lot of sauces. Not just ketchup. 

Not just saying that because we're in McDonalds. But now I'm thinking about sauce... big mac sauce...

I'm clearly hungry.

Me: and the name gets more solidified...

Where is home?

Mac: Oh i don't know... Right now its a trailer. But I grew up in the same house my entire life before college. But there's times when that didn't feel like home. ... for me home is when I'm like, alone in the San Rafael Swell. Home in my mind... and that's a difficult thing for me... its when I'm myself.

Not that I'm trying to get philisophical or anything...

Me: Where did you grow up then?

 Big Mac: Auborn california.

Me: And one more just for fun... Outside of Utah, what has been your craziest or best adventure so far?

Mac: one i can disclose...?

So many in the past few years because of college. Like last month I was in the islands with a friend on a yacht... a crazy story though, I was on my way to Santa Barbara over spring break, and we had some great idea that we would leave Santa Cruz at midnight, putting us there at 5 in the morning. So we're going.... all of a sudden in a torrential down pour. So we get Wendy's!!! (looks around).... uh... McDonalds is good too.... 

And we're munching so hard that we missed the next freeway by about an hour. we reroute the gps, its an extra hour... so we're going up a mountain, totally in the middle of nowhere, and the skies are clear, and we're climbing in elevation in my friends jeda, and we see a sign that says "carry chains," in the middle of April, in southern California.... 

Lo and behold, we find ourselves climbing a mountain at 6500 feet with 6 inches of snow in a jeda. And he's panicking, he's never seen snow before. He's freaking out because there's nothing out there.... we get to the top and there's a broken down Prius. I mean... if a Prius can make it...

So we shovel out tracks in front of the car and made it through, but the desolation was just insane...so that's a good clean story. I'll never forget that, ever. So its about 4:30, and we pull into the canyon and its still snowing, and we really had to (go). And its so quiet, and so I just got scared and ran back in the car. We did make it. Last thing you'd expect.