Former students and interns of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program reunite for a photo in 2019 during the World Marine Mammal Conference in Barcelona, Spain.
Education and professional development are major components of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program’s activities. In addition to sharing news of our scientific research with colleagues and wildlife management agencies through peer-reviewed scientific articles and presentations at research conferences, we also support professional and student learning through training opportunities and internships.
Professional Training Opportunities
Standardized research methodologies facilitate comparisons across research sites. We provide training opportunities for scientists and students from inside and outside of the United States that allow scientists and students to participate in SDRP field and laboratory research activities and discuss with staff how such activities might be applied to their own situations at home.
Graduate Student Education
To date, 50 doctoral dissertation and 46 master’s thesis projects have benefited from association with our program through field research opportunities or access to data, samples or guidance. While the SDRP is not associated with a university and not a degree-granting organization, we do support graduate student activities.
Internships
The SDRP offers undergraduate student internships over 10 to 12 weeks during January-April, mid-May-August and September-December. Internships are highly sought after and candidates are selected through the Chicago Zoological Society’s internship program and process.