A Dirty Job
Ohio State researcher studies Lake Erie snake
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Think your job is tough?
Consider Kristin Stanford's.
Stanford is the resident researcher at Stone Lab, Ohio State's campus on Lake Erie's Gilbraltar Island, where she's known as the Island Snake Lady.
Stanford studies the endangered Lake Erie water snake, a group of biters who spray musk and feces at researchers who pick them up. She catches the snakes, weighs them, and induces their vomit so she can check up on their diet.
"These snakes are probably the smelliest and dirtiest out there. So, it's definitely a dirty job," Stanford says. "And they're not exactly a friendly snake. They love to bite."
The bright side? "Lake Erie water snakes are aggressive, but are non-venomous so they pose no real danger in working with them," Stanford says.
Stanford was featured in the season premiere of the Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs on November 28 at 9 p.m.
The snakes may be gross. But to Stanford, they're also worth studying.
"They are a federally threatened, state-endangered species that is found only on the Lake Erie islands, an area less than 40 kilometers in diameter, which is one of the smallest ranges of any vertebrate animal in North America," she says.
As recovery plan coordinator for the water snakes, Stanford's goal is to see the snakes removed from the endangered species list.
Filming Dirty Jobs was fun for Stanford--and she hopes it shows prospective Stone Lab students how interesting summer research can be.
"What's great about this show for college students is they can see exactly what cool things they can do in Ohio State University's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program, which is offered every summer at Stone Lab," explains Stanford.
Each summer, the lab attracts students from all over the country to work on supervised, independent research projects. Students get an unbeatable deal: free tuition, room, and board, thanks to Ohio State endowments. On the island, they learn to collect and analyze data, read and write for scientific journals, and present their research--great preparation for grad school and research jobs, Stanford says.
"This type of hands-on, real-world research experience isn't available at many institutions at the undergraduate level."
Related links:
Stone Lab at The Ohio State University
Office of Undergraduate Research at The Ohio State University
Apply to The Ohio State University
The Ohio Sea Grant College Program at The Ohio State University
(text/images: University Marketing Communications)
