Hi everyone! My name is Iab Vang and my major is Biology.
Biology is really interesting because you get to learn about living things
whether it is plants, animals, or humans!
The best class that I have taken is Field Herpetology at the
OU Bio-station this summer. I signed up for this class not knowing what it was.
It was only 2 weeks and would count as a 3-credit lab so I said why not? Also,
I met the professor at a biology club meeting so I was sold. I would have to
say that this was the best experience I’ve ever had. Herpetology is the study of
amphibians and reptiles so we were exposed to a lot of snakes, turtles, frogs,
and many more! (I am definitely not a reptile or amphibian girl!!!) Some animals we caught were Timber Rattlesnakes, Copperheads,
Leopard Frogs, Green Treefrogs, Red-eared sliders, a Stinkpot, Mississippi Box
turtles, and many more! The night the copperhead was caught, the class
celebrated with ice cream and it was great! We went out to different fields
like creeks and swamps to collect these animals. At first I was really scared
to touch them, but the last couple of days I finally got to catch some. We
collected these animals to test them for the disease Chytrid, which is an
infectious disease that is currently affecting amphibians. Overall, I did not
want this class to end. I enjoyed it so much that I am currently volunteering
at the Sam Noble Museum, helping with my professor’s current research. I highly
recommend taking a course at the OU bio-station because it will be an unforgettable
experience!
(Catching a Copperhead: Photo taken by Joshua Kouri; photo from OU biostation July 2016)
(Alligator snapping turtle: Photo taken by Joshua Kouri; photo from August 2016)
One thing that I love doing most is traveling. This past year I was fortunate enough to go to Miami, Los Angeles, and Clearwater. I got to go Miami for the Orange Bowl game and it was so much fun! Although we lost, I had a great time and experience there. It was very diverse and I met people from different countries.
During spring
break my sister and I took a trip to Los Angeles. I have two friends currently
living there so I thought it would be awesome to visit them and explore a city
that I’ve never been to. Los Angeles is a great city and I had such an awesome time.
We went to the Santa Monica pier one day and it was super packed but I had fun.
We also went to Venice beach and it was beautiful. On another day, we walked
down the Hollywood boulevard. There is just so much to do In LA and I will
definitely go back.
(Personal photo of Venice Beach: photo taken March 2016)
Another trip was in May, my family and I went to Clearwater
beach for a summer vacation. We met up with other family members and just spent
a nice week at the beach. As I mentioned before, I love the beach so I
definitely had a great time!
(personal photo of my sister and I parasailing: photo taken in May 2016)
I would say one thing that I have accomplished this past
year is logging in a lot of volunteer hours at the Norman Regional Hospital. I
volunteered in the recovery room so I was exposed to many patients and also
interacted with a lot of nurses and doctors. It has been such a great
experience!
Hey Iab! I have a good friend who recently graduated with a degree in biology at OU, she did a lot of work in Dr. Siler's lab. Whenever she wasn't collecting specimens she would invite me to go herping with her, it is so fun! During my internship last summer I also got to go herping since some of the research I was conducting included the investigation of frogs as a potential parantenic host for the Dracunculus parasite. At one point we were in a swamp trying to catch bull frogs and tadpoles and my mentor literally grabbed the back of my shirt and threw me out of the water, he later pointed out that there was an alligator stalking us. I have been following research on the chytrid fungus for a while now since it is devastating the amphibian community which will completely upset the entire ecosystem. It's scary stuff.
ReplyDeleteI agree about biology, Iab! And I think that is why I like storytelling, especially fantasy and mythology: it can be plants, animals, or humans too! Everything can come to life and have its own voice in a myth or legend. And what a fantastic list of creatures you encountered this summer. Copperhead: eeeeek! I know they are around here where I live, but I am glad to say I have not seen one... just some garter snakes and black snakes, nothing more adventurous than that! Maybe you can do a project for this class on snakes or frogs or turtles. I am personally a HUGE fan of stories about turtles. Anyway, you can see what you think as you explore the possibilities: you will find all kinds of animal stories in the UnTextbook all semester long! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHey!
ReplyDeleteI have still yet to take my one required science with a lab here at OU, and I was trying to decide between chemistry and biology, but you've got me leaning in the biology direction! I do think it is interesting to learn about how the body works. Also, I lived in Los Angeles for about 5 months and it is a great place! Santa Monica is so pretty and fun, and if it wasn't so expensive; I probably would have stayed there. Looking forward to your posts this semester!
Biology is very interesting! I was never really good at anything chemistry based, but my boyfriend is a chemistry major and took many biology classes along the way and I always found it interesting what he did! Also, I live out in the country of Norman and see snakes all the time! I am terrified of any type of snake; harmful or not. So i stay clear of them all the time!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing what else you write this semester! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Iab! That class sounded so cool, but very creepy at the same time. Let's just say I'm not a critter girl either... I also went to Miami for the Orange Bowl! We probably saw each other considering there were so few OU fans there. I guess that's what happens when Clemson is closer to Miami than we are. It was such a cool city and there were definitely so many cultural influences all over the place.
ReplyDeleteIab, I love biology, but I'd definitely be terrified of catching snakes out in the wild. I've never seen a rattlesnake in real life, so I think I'd be mortified to try to trap one. I do like big snakes though - I have a family member who raises them, and it's always fun to see him and whatever snake he has wrapped around him. All of those vacations sound so fun! I've been craving a trip to the beach for a couple of years now, so I'm jealous you've been so many times lately! ;)
ReplyDeleteHi Iab!
ReplyDeleteWow I couldn't imagine catching all those animals, you're a lot braver then me. I'm so jealous you got to go to LA. That is on my bucket list and I can't wait till I get the chance to go out there and visit all the sites. I also went to the orange bowl last year. I was with the band so I feel you with how the game turned out. I can't wait to read more of your posts!
Hey, Iab!
ReplyDeleteIm a biology major, also. I have always wanted to take one of those classes but they never seemed to fit my schedule. That video is adorable- I love dogs. In fact, my project for this class is actually all about my dog, Cedie (short for Mercedes). It was great getting to 'meet' you, and I cant wait to read from you this semester!
Hello Iab, it is nice to meet you! I envy your interest in biology. I took an intro to biology course my freshman year and decided that was enough for me. When I went to the science lab to study for an exam, there was a student dissecting a cat. I had to be carried out of the lab to get fresh air. I love living things, but dead things do not seem to be something I can handle. I am a political science major. The picture of you and your sister is awesome. I have went hand gliding with my big brother when I was a teenager. I jumped of the mountain first so my brother said he had to jump, or look weak. I thought it was funny. I wish you the best of luck in reaching your educational goals.
ReplyDeleteHey Lab, I have to admit I am amazed by the number of activities you have, I am sure between your major and volunteering, it does not get very easy. I can tell how much you love your major and that is really good, I am a Petroleum Engineer and I also love my major a lot so I see very well what you mean. I also loved travelling to Los Angeles, great city! It was nice meeting you Lab.
ReplyDeleteHey Iab,
ReplyDeleteYou seem like a very busy person! When I was younger, I actually wanted to be a herpetologist because I liked turtles so much, so that's so cool to me that you were able to do some real herpetology work out in the field (even if it wasn't your thing). It's so cool to see when someone is passionate about something, and you really do seem to enjoy working in biology. I hope all goes well for you in this class and outside of it!
Joe
Eek! Good for you, girl, I am NOT a critters person. I can barely deal with flies; I would probably freak out every time I was around one of those frogs or snakes or turtles...yikes!! To be honest, the only "W" I've ever taken at OU was in a biology class, so I always love meeting people that love it so much. Are you wanting to go to medical school? I did some volunteering at OU Children's Hospital in their emergency room when I was a freshman and it was such a rewarding experience. A little too much blood for me, though (squeamish about nearly everything, including bugs and blood). I've never been to California, maybe I'll visit those places someday! Nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteHey Iab, it is nice to meet you. I think it is neat that you are interested in biology. I myself have never even taken a biology class in college. In fact, I think freshman year of high school was the last time I had anything related to biology. Anyways, you look like you are quite an involved and busy person. Good luck this semester in your other classes and this one.
ReplyDeleteHey Iab!
ReplyDeleteIt's really cool that you are super passionate about your major. Personally, I would not be able to deal with Field Herpetology. I don't mind snakes as long as they are behind a glass case. As for frogs, I'm okay as long as I don't have to touch them. You are a very brave person, I'm pretty sure I would have fainted.
Wow you have a lot of cool stuff going on! You probably get this a lot but I hate snakes and have no idea how you can handle herpetology. I am glad you do though so others of us don't have to! Your pictures kinda gave me the creeps (esp the one of you catching the snake) but I now know who I'm going to call if I ever need one removed!
ReplyDeleteHey Iab! It's always so fun to read about people who are passionate about their majors. I think herpetology sounds really cool. I'm glad you've found something you love doing! I also enjoy traveling, but I wish I could do more of it! I went to Los Angeles last spring, and I absolutely loved it. It's such a fun place to visit, although I couldn't imagine living there. That's the beauty of traveling I guess!
ReplyDeleteIt’s nice to finally meet you Lab! What an adventurous life you lead. It’s fascinating and I love the fact you conquered your fears of touching amphibians. Isn’t it the oddest thing that the class you thought you would hate you actually loved? I felt like that when I took my Ecology and Evolution class. I thought I would hate it, but it made me fall back in love with science. It was really nice to meet you and I hope that we will be reading more of each other’s stories before the semester is up!
ReplyDeleteHi Iab! Wow that class sounds so cool! I would be just like you and be really scared to catch the animals. But I’m glad you got to more at the end! I went to Miami for the Orange Bowl over New Years, too. It was quite the experience. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much traffic in my life! (Besides NYC. ☺)
ReplyDeleteHello!:) First off, great title. I love that word. And man, that biology lab sounds so cool! It’s really awesome that you didn’t just study them from a lab, but actually got to go out and catch all those critters. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Also, it’s awesome that you’ve had so many opportunities to travel. I’m more of a mountain person myself, but those trips sound like a blast.
ReplyDeleteHey Iab!! Nice to meet you!! I think it is so cool that you got to take that kind of class! I have never been in a class where you got to do so much work outside of the classroom! I think it is so interesting that you had to go an catch the animals! I feel like that is definitely an experience you will remember! I love the layout of your blog and I look forward to reading your work!!
ReplyDeleteHey Lab. I am a biology student as well. I took that field herpetology course as well. I loved it and I'm sure you did too. I have only been parasailing once but it was so much fun.
ReplyDeleteHI!!
ReplyDeleteO M G.. I could never take that class(i probably should) I am terrified of frogs and snakes. Frogs are like my ultimate fear which is weird because its just a frog... I used to have little tiny water frogs and they just kept dying so I don't if I just developed a fear out of hating them. That's so cool that you got to travel so much. I went parasailing in Panama City Beach and I loved it! I also volunteered with Norman Regional! I was in wound care and loved it!