I had some holiday leave from work that I had to take before January 12th, so I took that as a perfect opportunity to visit the Delaware Natural History Museum (DMNH). I certainly wish google maps told exact toll amounts because for the round-trip I spent $20 in tolls and probably around $30 in gas – I’m very thankful that I brought a larger sum of cash.
It was certainly an expensive, but worthwhile trip – especially with snowflakes greeting me at the rest station where I stopped briefly both ways.I was delighted to find bronze statues of an assortment of animals speckled around the museum and parking lot. Had I gone with a companion, I’m sure a photo-op would have been in order! Instead, I parked and walked through the doors into a lobby where a model giant squid (Architeuthis dux) hung overhead and a sign boasted one of the top ten largest mollusk collections in the United States. Walking to the reception desk, I had some fond nostalgia for my days working at the National Museum of Dentistry and some slight pain at the fact that it doesn’t look like it’s going to come through for a weekend job. I really miss working there sometimes – being behind the scenes of a museum. I didn’t know what to expect when I met the Curator of Mollusks, Dr. Liz Shea, but she promptly whisked me upstairs for a chat and behind-the-scenes tour of the DMNH. We chatted about committees, meetings, museums, DNA extractions, digitizing databases, and she showed me the tissue specimens. I really don't know where I'd be without people who take me under their wing in ways like this. I always feel so lost in this process. I am really looking forward to mentoring future students someday who are in my spot and giving them the guidance that's been so hard for me to find.
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