Top Hats and Butterflies: Internship Inspires Graduate Student

Samantha Sherry began looking for internship opportunities in spring 2024 as she headed into the final year of her Professional Science Master’s in Zoo, Aquarium and Animal Shelter Management Degree at Colorado State University. 

The graduate program offers students like Sherry a unique educational blend of business skills and training in applied science, with a focus on supporting a variety of animal organizations in their careers. The final capstone internship for the degree is a chance for students to bring skills and knowledge from the program together in practice and a big opportunity for Sherry to explore potential career paths. 

Sherry said she was eager to find an aquatic facility as a host for the project this summer – especially one that was recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. She eventually found a role at Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster that offered a chance to conduct research and gain critical exposure to the daily work that keeps the facility running smoothly. 

“I knew I wanted to work in an aquatic facility, and I also have a passion for the entomology and lepidopteran side of things, so this seemed like and has been a great fit,” said Sherry. “The role has also given me a chance to do research into animal behavior and that has been rewarding as well as eye opening.” 

Since she started in May, Sherry has worked with sea urchins at the pavilion to develop a better understanding of their “covering behavior.” This is a common behavior among some species of urchins where they pick up rocks and other objects, holding them over their bodies to potentially deflect light or hide. To develop a better understanding of how and why urchins choose what to cover themselves with Sherry’s internship continued a research project that places tiny 3D-printed hats in the tanks for use as cover. 

She said the project aims to understand if urchins prefer different styles or colors in their cover and how those choices impact guest perception around the animals. She said getting to do this type of animal behavior research was a big reason why she was interested in the opportunity for her capstone requirements originally. 

“My goal was to change the style and colors of the 3D-printed hats and keep other factors like weights the same, but I ran into problems with density, causing some to float and some to sink,” she said. “While it has been challenging, I have learned that animal science is messy, and you may not be able to control everything, but this has also encouraged me to consider pursuing research type positions in the future after I graduate.” 

A Professional Science Master’s in Zoo, Aquarium and Animal Shelter Management Degree is offered through the Department of Biology in the College of Natural Sciences. With an emphasis on hands-on learning the program offers education around animal welfare and conservation in a variety of settings, ranging from nonprofit zoo facilities like the Butterfly Pavilion to animal shelters. 

Director Jennie Willis said the degree offers a route for students outside of the veterinary sciences to work with animals and welcomes students from a wide group of disciplines, including psychology, anthropology and business. 

“The two-year degree is designed to be flexible enough for students just getting started as well as professionals already working in this space,” said Willis. “Our students have diverse interests, and the name of our program only starts to convey the great number of possible career options available from this degree.” 

Sherry originally joined the degree program as an undergraduate in her senior year studying zoology, leveraging the flexibility and cost savings of the continuous enrollment Accelerated Master’s Program at the university. As she nears the end of the program, she said she is hoping to get a full-time position as a zookeeper with the Butterfly Pavilion and was appreciative of the exposure to what research in this type of setting could look like. 

“Overall, it has been a great experience, and I have gained lots of aquatic knowledge that I didn’t previously have,” she said. “It is a competitive field, but I would love to work my way up through different roles in an organization like the Butterfly Pavilion and ultimately do something with animal behavior and training later in my career.”