Spring 2025 research internship reflections

This spring, Wild Animal Initiative hosted a research internship in collaboration with Ben Vernasco at Whitman College. The two undergraduate interns, Wyatt Albright and Navi Islam-Zwart, worked with Physiology and Behavior Researcher Bonnie Flint to contribute to our house sparrow research project. Wyatt and Navi conducted lab assays such as DNA extraction and qPCR, analyzed wild house sparrow behavior from video footage, and practiced other techniques relevant to the fields of molecular biology, stress physiology, physiological ecology, and health sciences.

Wyatt and Navi have written about their experiences working on this project to paint a picture of what a research internship with WAI can be like. You can read their reflections below.

If you are a student or faculty member interested in partnering with WAI to develop future internship opportunities, please contact our hiring team.

Broadening my perspectives

Wyatt Albright

As a Biology major with a strong interest in animal welfare, conservation, and biological research, I was excited to intern with Wild Animal Initiative this semester on their house sparrow research study. Growing up in Winthrop, Washington, a small town whose community is deeply connected to land and wildlife conservation, shaped my early interest in protecting animal populations and ecosystems. More recently, my research on the Caribbean spiny lobster with the School for Field Studies on South Caicos strengthened both my research skills and my commitment to understanding and supporting wildlife.

Through my internship with WAI, I connected with professionals, gained hands-on research experience, and had meaningful conversations about animal welfare and careers in science. I had already known that I care deeply about animals and their welfare, but working with WAI helped me realize I didn’t fully understand what animal welfare truly meant, especially in the context of wild animals. Learning about WAI’s mission and goals helped me explore the complexities of animal welfare science: how it involves not just protecting species, but also considering the individual experiences and well-being of wild animals.

This broader perspective was new to me and pushed me to think more critically about how human actions, both direct and indirect, impact the lives of individual animals in ways I hadn't previously considered. It deepened my understanding of what it means to advocate for wild animals and encouraged me to approach conservation work with much more thoughtfulness and nuance.

Another important part of the internship was the opportunity to build technical lab skills, particularly in DNA extraction and qPCR. As an undergraduate, it’s rare to get one-to-one guidance with lab techniques or to have time to really think critically about each step. This project helped me strengthen skills I’d already learned in classes and introduced me to a new technique I hadn’t used before. These practical experiences are directly transferable to future research, and I already feel more prepared and confident going into my full-time summer research lab position.

Perhaps the most unexpected and valuable takeaway from this experience was learning how nonlinear science careers can be. Talking with WAI’s team members about their own journeys into science and animal welfare made it clear that careers don’t always follow a straight line. Curiosity, collaboration, and openness to new opportunities all play a big role. This internship also helped me realize that there’s no single path into the field, and that meaningful scientific work happens in many different contexts — nonprofits, field research, lab studies, interdisciplinary projects, and more.

As an undergraduate, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to navigate such a broad field, especially when the “next steps” aren't always clear. Hearing about the diverse paths of others helped ease some of the pressure I’d been feeling to have everything figured out. It made me more confident that I can shape a career that fits my strengths and interests, rather than following a predefined route. I’m leaving this internship with improved technical skills, a deeper understanding of animal welfare, and meaningful connections and advice from people working in a field I’m excited to explore.

Connecting welfare and cognition

Navi Islam-Zwart

My internship with Wild Animal Initiative was an informative experience that contributed meaningfully to my education and my career direction. Of the many lessons I am leaving this internship with, three stand out to me as the most impactful: a greater understanding of animal cognition as it relates to animal welfare, insight into how nonprofits conduct research and what kinds of careers they offer, and practice performing lab techniques. 

I am a Brain, Behavior, and Cognition major at Whitman, and I’m interested in performing fieldwork in animal cognition in the future. From my internship with WAI, I now better understand animal cognition and how it intersects with animal welfare. I had a conversation with Services Coordinator Grey Fernández about how cognition is a crucial part of assessing an animal’s welfare, which was reinforced by related assigned readings. Forming a deeper understanding of the connection between cognition and welfare has also opened up directions for my future research, in which I might explore how an animal’s welfare condition can be better understood in the context of their cognitive ability, and vice versa.

Because I’m interested in a research career, it was also helpful to learn about the processes that generate research in a non-academic setting. Learning how WAI’s researchers conduct their work — and how the Services and Communications teams help to disseminate it — gave me ideas for career paths I could take outside of conventional academic research.

Finally, one of the most important things this internship gave me is practice performing lab techniques. I have taken lab classes at Whitman and performed some lab work already, but individual assistance is rarely available in a lab class of 15 to 20 people. Working one-to-one with Dr. Ben Vernasco on the house sparrow project allowed me to practice techniques more precisely and contribute to a research team, giving me a chance to develop stronger lab skills and boosting my confidence in a lab setting. Polishing my lab skills and learning new techniques has given me a strong base to work from in my future lab classes, my upcoming internship this summer, and my future research career.

It was exciting to deepen my understanding of animal cognition and welfare, to learn how nonprofits conduct research, and to refine my lab skills during this internship. I will take these insights and the practical research experience I’ve gained — both in the lab and through desk-based research like literature reviews — into my future classes and career.