The Art of a Summer DESG Internship
Zoe Sabadish (far right) pictured on the beach during this year’s horseshoe crab survey
When Zoe Sabadish came home to live in Rehoboth Beach for the summer, she was looking for an internship opportunity that would provide her with an opportunity to conduct research as well as participate in public outreach.
Joining Delaware Sea Grant (DESG) as an intern for the summer allowed her to get the best of both worlds, as Sabadish assisted with the horseshoe crab survey at Big Stone Beach, as well as participated in public outreach at various events in Southern Delaware.
A rising sophomore at Eckerd College in Florida studying marine science and art, Sabadish worked with Kate Fleming, a coastal ecology specialist with DESG, to collect and manage data for the horseshoe crab survey, which looks to document the male-to-female ratio of horseshoe crabs at the Big Stone Beach study site.
“There are 25 survey sites across the Delaware Bay region, but we collected data for one of those at Big Stone Beach, which is a protected beach owned by Delaware Wild Lands,” said Sabadish. “It was a beautiful place, and the work was unlike anything else. We work in coordination with the full and new moons so going out pretty late at night and getting to check out the beach from a different perspective.”
In addition to collecting the data, Sabadish also worked with David Christopher, marine education specialist with DESG, creating educational resources such as a story map and a 360 panoramic tour of Big Stone Beach. The hope is that the lesson and the panoramic tour will be used for educators to create lesson plans for students about horseshoe crab biology and the work being done at the horseshoe crab survey.
As for outreach, Sabadish had the opportunity to present both the tour and the lesson at the National Marine Education Association’s Conference and helped DESG professionals present at the Horseshoe Crab and Shorebird Festival in Milton, Delaware. The exhibit was focused on both horseshoe crabs and microfibers in the environment to get the public more interested and engaged in those topics.
In addition to the festival, Sabadish worked with Christopher and participated in an ecotourism boat tour of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal, which was hosted by Cape Water Tours and launched from the newly opened Grove Park Dock in Rehoboth.
“We went down the Lewes Canal and talked about the plants found on the swamp, the animals, the birds, some of the crabs, and invasive species,” said Sabadish. “It was a chance for us to be one-on-one with the public talking about those issues.”
Sabadish wraps up her internship on Friday, July 30 and as she reflects on her time with DESG, she said that the most beneficial aspect of the internship has been getting a chance to see the wide breadth of research taking place in the marine science field.
“I think Delaware Sea Grant, and Sea Grant in general, really emphasizes the fact that there are so many different facets of marine science work that need to be happening,” said Sabadish. “It spans across your typical research science. There’s also social science, education and so much more.”
She added that it was incredible to see the horseshoe crabs spawning at Big Stone Beach, something that she believes everyone should have the opportunity to witness—as there were piles of horseshoe crabs pulling up on the beach.
As an artist, it also gave her inspiration to tackle a new subject in her artwork: the horseshoe crab.
“I am always looking for ways to combine my love for art and science together, and after spending a lot of time with the horseshoe crabs, I was drawn to their appearance,” said Sabadish. “A lot of people we talk to in the public had differing opinions on this: some thought they were beautiful and interesting, and a lot of people are actually kind of afraid of how they look, that they’re sort of alien-looking. I like to use my art to show my perspective on the world, and so I had a goal to show the beauty and the wonder that I experienced through the horseshoe crabs.”
Article by Adam Thomas