Annabelle Phillips, a senior from Ohio, said she thinks “the greatest thing about being a marine biology major is that you learn more about God’s creations and the desire to improve the world becomes stronger.”
What made you decide to study this major?
Phillips said ever since she was young, she wanted to study animals and be a zoologist. When she came to BYUH, she started as a biochemistry major, but changed to marine biology because of her passion for animals. She added because she grew up in Ohio where there is no ocean, she wanted to learn more about the sea. “The more I learned about it, the more love I had for it,” said Phillips.
What make your major unique?
For Phillips, marine biology is unique because going to the beach is a requirement. They must learn about how the ocean works and the animals in it. “We become beach experts, and people make jokes that in Hawaii we spend all the time in the beach, which is true, especially for our major,” said Phillips.
Pros
According to Phillips, the best things about marine biology are the fun activities students in her major do. Phillips shared an experience where she did coral surveying as part of a lab. She was also able to ride a helicopter up to the mountains for conservation projects. “There is a lot of hands-on experience. I’ve also had the chance to do shark cage diving to learn about protecting sharks. And I went to Saipan to do a biodiversity project,” said Phillips.
Cons
Phillips said she feels there is a lack of after college, career-oriented opportunities for biology majors. She said the employers who come to campus career fairs seem to mostly look for hospitality and tourism and business majors.
Describe a typical day
After eating breakfast and reading scriptures, Phillips goes to classes from 8:40 a.m. to 1:10 p.m. Currently, her classes include a research class (BIO 494), oceanography and Pacific natural history. “We learn about the ocean, its processes and the organisms that live in it. We also get to go the ocean,” said Phillips. She said for a recent lab, she went to the lighthouse to learn about geology, plant and animal life, and how the islands were created.
Time spent in a day
“Sometimes there is a lot of lab work, and we stay in the lab from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., which is hard,” said Phillips.
What do you want to do with it?
With her degree in marine biology, Phillips aims to take on jobs concerning conservation and the environment. “That’s my main goal, but I am also interested in teaching teenagers about the ocean,” said Phillips. “I think that it is interesting about the way my professors have helped me and taught me about the ocean, and I want to share it.”
Number of people in the major
Phillips pointed out there is a marine group on campus with at least 30 members. She considers marine biology to be one of the more popular majors on campus, especially amongst girls.
Favorite class
Phillips said one of her favorite classes is oceanography because the teachers are passionate when instructing. Another favorite class is marine biology where students go to the beach to identify different organisms in the ocean. Also, she said she enjoys her microbiology class, which is about bacteria.