My name is Christine and I’m a third year veterinary student at the University of Wisconsin. The university is located in the capital city of Madison and is home to the Badgers! We have a lot of cold weather and cows here, but certainly no sea turtles! As a student with strong interests in zoological medicine and conservation, I felt extremely happy to have the opportunity to spend a month learning at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center last summer.
Each year the local Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, WI awards the Henry Vilas Zoological Society Scholarship to veterinary students who want to pursue a research project that involves wildlife health, medicine and management. I was fortunate to receive support from this scholarship to work with Dr. Norton on the Loggerhead Nutrition research project. Appropriate nutrition is critical for the health of any animal and is an important part of veterinary medicine, so I was very excited about this study! Some of the goals for my contributions to the project included sorting through DNR records to identify common prey items, organizing and shipping blood samples to various labs, compiling lots of data (ongoing!) and learning how to draw a blood samples from Loggerheads. Dr. Norton is an excellent mentor and I learned an immense amount from him, as well as the entire the GSTC team!
Besides research, I was able to participate in the daily husbandry and care for many of the turtle patients at the center. The individualized care and attention provided to each patient by the dedicated staff and volunteers was remarkable! I learned about transponder placement and prepping animals reintroduction. Aussie, Miss Betty, Route, and Duffy were all released during my month on Jekyll and what a wonderful experience it was to watch these animals swim away into the ocean! Moreover, a few new patients were admitted while I was at the center including Caton and Tunicate. I really liked learning how to work up their cases and watching their progress. 
I also had the unexpected opportunity to assist Dr. Norton with some of his work for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and also for St. Catherine’s Island, including a marine mammal stranding event and ring-tailed lemur wellness exams. I went on beach patrol several nights to track nesting Loggerheads and was even lucky enough to see a Leatherback nesting on Jekyll Island!
My time at the GSTC was invaluable to my veterinary education and I feel so grateful to Dr. Norton and the amazing staff, interns and volunteers for such an incredible experience! I look forward to continuing my work on the Loggerhead nutrition study and to visiting the GSTC again soon!
Christine
