Emily Duggan '16 stood on the top deck of The American Star during an afternoon tour conducted by the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center on June 23. As an intern, she was tasked with identifying marine life, particularly the dorsal fins of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and the flukes of whales.
 
It was a regular three-hour trip designed to educate passengers on the importance of protecting whales, dolphins, porpoises, and their environment. With camera and binoculars at the ready, Duggan was on the lookout for one of these sea-faring mammals.
 
Despite living just a few minutes from the Ocean City, N.J., beachfront, Duggan had never laid eyes on a whale. That changed on that bright and balmy June day.
 
Just two miles from Wildwood Beach, Duggan and crew spotted the blow spout. Soon after, a humpback whale close to 50-feet long surfaced. After several minutes tracking the bus-sized animal and ensuring a safe route to follow, The American Star slowly approached and gave Duggan her first contact with one of the ocean's largest creatures.
 
"He was feeding and it was absolutely amazing," said the Marmora, N.J., and Ocean City High School graduate. "I honestly have never seen a more beautiful living thing."
 
Duggan's experience was made possible through an internship with the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center. She was one of nine summer interns responsible for collecting data that will ultimately help with marine conservation.
 
Among her primary tasks was taking pictures of dolphin fins and whale flukes, which are the equivalent to a human fingerprint. Each dolphin fin and whale fluke is unique. The data collected by Duggan and her fellow interns was added to two catalogs – the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin Catalog and the Whale Fluke Book. Those resources serve as references and guides on these marine animals across the world.
 
A two-year starter on Gettysburg's women's basketball team, Duggan capped her internship by completing a project that examined the various colorations that distinguish a whale's fluke.
 
"You can almost tell where you are in the world by those colorations," noted Duggan. "I created these visuals with paint and they were hung on the dock. I did five of them from really light to really dark and they each had a caption explaining how you identify them."
 
Duggan, an environmental studies major at Gettysburg, spent 3-4 days per week driving out the dock to catch the boat. She would go out 2-3 times per day to collect data as well as oversee other educational activities, like the touch tank housing local marine life.
 
"We absolutely loved having Emily as part of our crew this summer," said Internship Coordinator Melissa Laurino. "We are always looking for a diverse group of interns and her background at Gettysburg College qualified her for an interview for the internship program."
 
As an environmental studies major, Duggan has gained knowledge across all disciplines. While her focus is marine ecology, her class schedule has included a bevy of different concentrations that have helped shape her career goals.
 
"The environment field is such a fluid, changing topic," noted the senior. "In every single class you're thinking critically and you're trying to solve real-world issues."
 
"And it's not just work in the classroom," she added. "We're going on trips all the time. You're seeing all these things and I think that definitely helped me when I went to work this summer."
 
Prior to applying for the internship, Duggan received assistance from the Center for Career Development. During her junior year, a representative from Career Development met with the members of the women's basketball team and helped them develop their resumes.
 
"When I went to sit down and write my resume, I realized I had no idea what I was doing," recalled Duggan. "We sat down and discussed what we should have and shouldn't have on a resume. After that I was able to go back and put together a resume, which is the one I sent to the internship."
 
Duggan's path at Gettysburg and her recent internship have helped solidify her goals of one day working closer with marine life.
 
"I want to be out in the field doing research and different data projects," she said. "It was exciting for me to finally get out and start to figure out where I want to be when I graduate. Being able to go out and experience something – that's how you find out what you want to do."