What are you up to now?

Jennifer Popham

REU '09

Mentor: Ed Faison

Project: Seedling & Sapling Composition Influences Browsing Intensity of Ungulates in Massachusetts (abstract)

Hometown: Gardner, MA

College and major: University of Massachusetts, Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation, class of 2010

• What you miss most about the REU program: I miss the people I worked with and spending every day outdoors in the woods.
• What you miss least about the REU program: Getting soaked in the field on rainy days wasn't fun.
• What about the REU program has stuck with you: The friendships I made and the memories of seeing moose and being chased by a bear.
• Have you stayed in touch with other REUers?: Yes, some of us have continued to communicate regularly online.
• Whether your REU experience supported or changed your career plans: The experience I got will definitely help me down the road. The program also confirmed that I will enjoy being a park ranger more than a scientist conducting my own research, which is great to find out sooner than later.
• What you're up to now: I am in my senior year, planning to graduate in May 2010. I hope to secure a job with the National Park Service for next summer.