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Welcome To My Summer 2024 NEVBD Internship Blog!

Thank you for taking the time to check out my blog for summer 2024, I am excited to begin to share my experiences as a Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (NEVBD) and Cornell University intern. 

For a little background on myself, my name is Sam, and I am a recent graduate of Southern New Hampshire University completing a Bachelor's of Science in Biology, with a minor in Public Health. I grew up in Lewiston, Maine where I have lived the majority of my life, and now have relocated to Old Orchard Beach, Maine. While at SNHU I was also a 4-year member of the Men's Lacrosse Team. 

As I was completing my undergraduate degree I found myself incredibly fascinated in public health and epidemiological concepts which has led me to this opportunity today. In addition to having a background academically in public health, I have also taken Zoology, Invertebrate Morphology, and Field Ornithology while at SNHU. This has influenced my desire to work with and animals, but in particular, tick and mosquito species were always some of my favorites. 
 
In the fall I will begin the next step in my academic journey, as I pursue a Master of Public Health concentrating in Epidemiology at East Carolina University. Before graduate school, I am hopeful to gain the necessary knowledge and skills in vector biology throughout this program, that will open up opportunities for myself to build a career in this field. 
 
Throughout the summer I will be reporting on the experiences and skills I will have learned as a vector surveillance intern hosted at Maine Health’s Lyme and Vector Borne Disease Laboratory. Working under the advising of my primary research mentor, Charles Lubelczyk, I will participate in a variety of field/lab experiments. As I progress further through the summer I will share these activities to you all, but at this point, I know that I will be participating in collection, surveillance, and identification of tick and mosquito species that have public health and animal health relevance in Maine.
 
I am excited to start this incredible opportunity and inform those who find their way to my blog on, what is going on this week in Vector Biology!




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Location: Scarborough, ME, USA

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