Meet Amy Kirkham
Amy Kirkham – Hormone Monitor.
Amy is a graduate student at the University of Alaska, Anchorage who is originally from Larchmont, New York! She received her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, before continuing her education in Alaska!
What’s after graduate school?
I want to continue doing research on the physiology of animals that live in extreme environments, learning about how animals’ bodies manage in places like Antarctica.
About the Weddell seal project
Main role on the team
My main focus within this scientific investigation will be measuring the seals’ hormone levels and analyzing their skin to see when they are actively growing hair. I’ll be working hard on those aspects back at the lab in Anchorage. In the field, I’m here to help out however I can and learn how to do the procedures we’ll be carrying out. Since this is my first time working with seals in the field, there’s a lot for me to take in, and the faster I do, the more I can help everything go smoothly.
What’s the highlight of this project?
That’s such a tough question! I’m looking forward to pretty much all of it. One thing I am very excited about is gaining experience in marine mammal handling, and getting to the point where I am comfortable and efficient at all we do while working with animals.
What ‘big question’ do you hope this project answers?
I hope we answer whether high levels of female reproductive hormones prevent seals from growing new fur.
Please share your favorite picture of a Weddell seal and one with you and a Weddell seal.
Two of my favorite Weddell seal pics are below – one of a fat and happy seal we worked on named Hattie, and one of a younger male sticking his tongue out at me. There’s a picture of me touching a Weddell seal for the first time too. I was so surprised at how soft her fur was!
Hattie – one fat and happy seal! Photo courtesy of Amy Kirkham
Young male seal sticking its tongue out at Amy. Photo courtesy of Amy Kirkham.
What’s the coolest part of your school work?
Hanging out with seals in the Antarctic is pretty cool. So is investigating such an exciting question and working with a group that has immense collective knowledge and experience and takes so much joy in the process of science. It’s too hard to pick one!
Amy posing for a quick pic with one of the seals. Photo courtesy of Amy Kirkham.
What is the most exciting, most amazing or scariest thing that has happened to you during your school work?
Since this is my first year, I know there’s a lot of exciting stuff yet to come. It was pretty amazing to find out that I was going to get to work on this project in the first place. It was also very exciting to hear Weddell seals making their crazy, spaceship noises in person for the first time – especially hearing them coming from underwater through the ice.
What are some of the perks of your school work?
- Getting to drive around on a snow machine
- Spending time with amazing animals and teammates in the Antarctic
- Finding out answers that no one else has
- Studying the science that interests me more than anything else full-time
- ‘Big Red’ is very nice as well, even though it is a perk I, unfortunately, cannot bring home with me!
If asked to ‘sell’ this career to someone, what would you say to convince them to pursue it?
Science never gets boring. And baby seals!
What advice would you give a student interested in pursuing your career?
A career in marine mammal science is a career in science, first and foremost. Gain experience with different scientific focuses – you never know what might end up interesting you the most. Having diverse knowledge and skills will also make it easier to find opportunities to work on something a lot of people find exciting, like marine mammals.
Fun Questions
Who inspired you on this path?
I've met many inspiring people, but certainly my paternal grandpa inspired me on my career path. I never got to know him very well, but he was an extremely passionate scientist. The family stories of his endless curiosity and how much he loved his research got me excited about how much a career in science has to offer when I was little, and that really stuck with me.
Amy’s grandpa inspired her love of science. Photo courtesy of Amy Kirkham.
What are your favorite hobbies or activities?
Top three?
- Reading
- Rowing
- Hiking
Dressed up for a goofy rowing practice. Photo courtesy of Amy Kirkham.
What were your favorite books, shows or movies when you were a kid?
- Harry Potter
- The Redwall series
- Scooby Doo
- Annie
- And anything scary!
Which super power would you like to have and why?
I would like to have a super sense of smell. There is so much information out there that weak human noses can’t pick up on, and it would be so cool to walk into a room and know the story of who and what had been there and where they had come from all with one sniff. It’d also be very useful for finding all the candy bars that seem to disappear in the many pockets of my extreme cold weather gear!
Maybe this seal smells where I put my Snickers. Photo courtesy of Amy Kirkham.
Tell us about your most embarrassing moment.
…That time I tried surfing.
Oops, surfing isn’t as easy as it looks. Photo courtesy of Amy Kirkham.
What’s the number one thing on your ‘bucket list’?
Write a book
What 3 items would you take to a desert island, other than food and water?
- Sunscreen! (I’m a redhead and fry like crazy.)
- Snorkel and mask, to explore the coral reefs that had better be around my island.
- My binoculars. They would help me take advantage of the pristine star-gazing conditions at night, and I could also use them to look out for birds or other animals in the daytime. And potential rescuers. Maybe I could find a way to use them to start fires, like a magnifying glass, too.
Amy using her trusty binoculars. Photo courtesy of Amy Kirkham.
If I take a look inside your refrigerator what would I find?
Lots of pickles, yogurt, barbecue sauce, and citrus fruit. And if you peeked in the freezer too, a wide variety of Ben and Jerry’s® flavors – my favorite!
Dream come true – a whole truck of Ben and Jerry’s®. Photo courtesy of Amy Kirkham.
How many licks does it take to get to the middle of a tootsie pop?
If you provide the pop, I’ll do an experiment and get back to you. By the way, my favorite flavor is blue.
Tell me 5 ways to use a pencil, other than to write.
- Splint broken sunglasses
- Doodle seal pictures on my notes
- Pin down an important piece of paper to the snow
- Scratch itches (especially while wearing gloves)
- Accidentally jab myself in the leg – when I put one in my pocket, forget, and sit down quickly.
Ouch! Some pencils definitely would have helped with those broken sunglasses. Photo credit Amy Kirkham.}