Paleoanthropology Internship

Workplace 

As I have gotten into the groove of things, I have acknowledged some of my strengths. I started out with 3-D scanning. I am now both proficient and efficient with the 3-D scanning technology, which means that I can complete more work in one session. I have also grown with my communication skills. I have learned to ask questions, ask for assistance or another way to go about things if the original plan doesn't work out. Professionally, growing my communication skills has been very beneficial for me. I have always had trouble speaking up and asking for help. With this internship, I have been forced to communicate the challenges that I come across. With no prior knowledge of technology or paleoanthropology, I could not rely on past experiences to help me resolve issues I was having. I am now more than comfortable seeking out resources for help. I want to continue to grow in seeking out new opportunities as a professional. If this internship has taught me anything, it's that doing unfamilar work and stepping outside of the comfort zone is worth the experience. I have loved getting to know about all things paleoanthropology, and it is something that I would have never thought I'd be interested in. I have learned a lot through the internship and can apply some if it, like the more anatomical topics, to the education that I have already received in previous courses like anatomy. I know lots about different monuments on the mandible, how the shape of a skull can tell you about the social behaviors of the species, and most importantly I can talk in great detail about the different aspects of both the skull and mandible. With that being said, I want to continue to look for new unfamilar opportunites and expose myself to different things. I think professionally this would make me a well-rounded individual with lots of different experience. 

       I started out, what feels to me, as an assistant. I was tasked with work that took long periods of time to complete. As time has gone on, I’ve become very efficient while simultaneously producing quality work. I feel now that I am an asset because I can get work down at a faster pace, which can move up project timelines. The K-5 module, for example, was one of the biggest projects of the year. I completed this in a timely manor and now we can make edits and have the final draft ready earlier than expected. This allows us to move on to something new, so I am exposed to several aspects of paleoanthropology. I am glad that I have gotten to work with Dr. Deane this year. Not only has he exposed me to a new and fascinating subject, but he’s been a great teacher. He has helped me develop my technology skills beyond what I ever imagined possible and has helped me have a deeper understanding of the anatomy of the skull. I am not tech savvy by any means, but after learning and powering through challenges, I am now confident in my new found skills thanks to Dr. Deane. He also has helped me understand the skull and all its features in new, more in depth, way. My main focus has been the skulls and mandibles of different primates, which has allowed me to be very comfortable identifying different parts of each. By becoming more comfortable and knowledgeable on the subject, I can take what I have learned and apply it to the anatomy of human skulls and mandibles. This is very beneficial for me as a chiropractor because I will be studying the bones of the skull and mandible intensely.

Successes and Challenges

 A time that I have felt successful is when I finally got the act of scanning down and could complete more scans in one session. I had a great deal of scans to complete, to create a library of digital scans for the K-5 module. Being more efficient and producing quality scans made me feel successful because I was able to move up the timeline of the project, so there was more time to make edits and review. I have also been successful at solving technological problems on my own. I have found different ways to fix the issue on my own before I have to include Dr. Deane on the issue. I have learned how to troubleshoot software, redownload applications, export material differently, and most importantly make space for new projects. This has made me feel successful because I no longer need to continuously ask for help. I have picked up on what Dr. Deane has shown me and can apply those actions independently. This also is a time saver. Dr. Deane has a very busy schedule and is not always around to help. Now that I can solve these issues on my own, I can continue moving forward without having to wait for a convenient time for help.

The most challenging part of my experience thus far are the technology issues. This has to be the most challenging because if there’s issues with the software or actual scanning machine, no work can be completed. There have been days where I have had issues and worked to resolve them for an hour or so, and ultimately I ended up wrapping up for the day because I couldn’t get it figured out. Overtime, I have utilized my resources and reached out to others to get the issues resolved. Now, with all the difficulties I have come across, I can take all my collective experiences and find a solution one way or another.