Slugs and Snails and Puppy Dogs Tails…?

Here in the snail lab, it seems this version of the old children’s rhyme applies to us.

What do young women work with?

What do young women work with?

Slugs and snails and puppy dogs tails

That's what young women work with

Studies of gender bias in the sciences show that women make up more than half of the undergraduate and graduate students in ecology and evolutionary biology.  They have done for a long time.  Nowadays, women make up more than half of the PhDs in science and engineering.

So it’s not surprising that more than half of the technicians, undergraduate fellows, graduate students, and post-docs in The Collin lab are women.  What is surprising is that it’s more like 80% women. 

Another surprise is that almost all of us have dogs.  Not just one dog but often 3 or 4 dogs. Only occasionally does a lab member own a cat.  We haven't done the statistics, but I'm sure we have significantly more dogs than expected from the general population.  It must be something about working with snails.

CollinLab Members and Their Pets

Rebecca Rissanen (CollinLab 2008-2013) with
Kippura and Abba, who later had 8 puppies.

Anabell Cornejo with Taquila, worked in the Collin Lab
from 2009-2012.

Summer 2013 intern Abrial Meyer's dog Tug, enjoying the
intertidal of the Pacific Northwest. 

Rachel Collin with Nutmeg, Cricket and Lychee

Florida State University student and CollinLab
intern (2010-2013) Abby Spangler with her puppy Anya.   

The glamorous Maricela Salazar, former CollinLab manager
and her boxer Tierna

Matt Starr's two Tibetan Terriers enjoying a day on the lake.

Leyre Villota Nieva, her dogs Sahara and Cuca and cat Nayla

One of the exceptions:

Kecia Kerr, past CollinLab graduate student and her cat Livia.