WHAT’S IT LIKE TO STUDY…
BECKY CLIFFE graduated from the University of Manchester with a first class honours degree in Zoology and is now working on her PhD with sloths.
“So you want to be a zookeeper?â€
This is the general response I get after telling people I study zoology. In reality, when I chose my degree I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to be; I just knew I was good at biology and loved animals. No one could have guessed I would end up as a sloth biologist.
I hold Sir David Attenborough entirely responsible for my infatuation with the natural world. As a child, his documentaries inspired me and my parents would often find me out in the garden collecting a whole range of creepy crawlies in my various ‘bug boxes’ (looking back, I’m sure this wasn’t so great for the local ladybird population!)
When choosing my degree, I was very much split between my head and my heart. I’d dreamt of studying zoology since primary school, but frequently found myself advised against this in favour of broader and more recognized degrees such as biology. After attending an open-day at the University of Manchester, there was no going back. I was well and truly sold as a zoologist.
The first year for all students in the faculty of life sciences is relatively similar. Students cover a wide range of topics, varying from molecular biology through to biodiversity and conservation. Although not all of these modules will initially be of interest, this provides everyone with a broad baseline knowledge which can be built upon and specialised throughout the later years.
Throughout my degree I had the opportunity to wrestle lobsters at the Millport Marine Biological Station in Scotland, play with lion cubs while studying animal behaviour in South Africa and live with the remote Payamino tribe while researching tropical biology in the Ecuadorian rainforest. These amazing opportunities gave me experience in designing and completing my own independent research projects under the guidance of internationally recognised professors. Furthermore, going on these once in a lifetime adventures with great course mates really helped us to get to know each other – especially when you go without a shower in the jungle for two weeks!
The final year of study at the university is where all these skills are really brought together. We were given the chance to contribute to the cutting edge research completed in the faculty through an original research project of our choice. This forms a major part of the degree and provides an opportunity to really use what we have learnt over the previous years study.
The highlight of my zoology degree was easily my third year, which I spent on a 12-month research placement at the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica. During this time I had the opportunity to complete a major research project while assisting with the rescue and rehabilitation of sloths at the sanctuary. Furthermore, I was able to feature in a Discovery Channel sloth documentary which was an incredible experience and has opened many doors.
I managed to leave the University of Manchester with a first class honours degree, three published papers and I am now starting work for my PhD back out with the sloths. I now have the dream of developing a rehabilitation and release program for the hand-raised baby sloths brought into the sanctuary, and the dramas of this challenge are going to be filmed for an eight-episode TV series later this year – perhaps I am tentatively following in the giant footsteps of Sir David Attenborough after all.
Becky Cliffe graduated from the University of Manchester with a first class honours degree in Zoology and is now working on her PhD with sloths.
So you want to be a zookeeper?
This is the general response I get after telling people I study zoology.
In reality, when I chose my degree I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to be; I just knew I was good at biology and loved animals.
No one could have guessed I would end up as a sloth biologist.
I hold Sir David Attenborough entirely responsible for my infatuation with the natural world. As a child, his documentaries inspired me and my parents would often find me out in the garden collecting a whole range of creepy crawlies in my various “bug boxes” (looking back, I’m sure this wasn’t so great for the local ladybird population!)
When choosing my degree, I was very much split between my head and my heart. I’d dreamt of studying zoology since primary school, but frequently found myself advised against this in favour of broader and more recognized degrees such as biology. After attending an open-day at the University of Manchester, there was no going back. I was well and truly sold as a zoologist.
The first year for all students in the faculty of life sciences is relatively similar. Students cover a wide range of topics, varying from molecular biology through to biodiversity and conservation.
Although not all of these modules will initially be of interest, this provides everyone with a broad baseline knowledge which can be built upon and specialised throughout the later years.
Throughout my degree I had the opportunity to wrestle lobsters at the Millport Marine Biological Station in Scotland, play with lion cubs while studying animal behaviour in South Africa and live with the remote Payamino tribe while researching tropical biology in the Ecuadorian rainforest.
These amazing opportunities gave me experience in designing and completing my own independent research projects under the guidance of internationally recognised professors.
Furthermore, going on these once in a lifetime adventures with great course mates really helped us to get to know each other especially when you go without a shower in the jungle for two weeks!
The final year of study at the university is where all these skills are really brought together.
We were given the chance to contribute to the cutting edge research completed in the faculty through an original research project of our choice.
This forms a major part of the degree and provides an opportunity to really use what we have learnt over the previous years study.
The highlight of my zoology degree was easily my third year, which I spent on a 12-month research placement at the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica.
During this time I had the opportunity to complete a major research project while assisting with the rescue and rehabilitation of sloths at the sanctuary. Furthermore, I was able to feature in a Discovery Channel sloth documentary which was an incredible experience and has opened many doors.
I managed to leave the University of Manchester with a first class honours degree, three published papers and I am now starting work for my PhD back out with the sloths.
I now have the dream of developing a rehabilitation and release program for the hand-raised baby sloths brought into the sanctuary, and the dramas of this challenge are going to be filmed for an eight-episode TV series later this year perhaps I am tentatively following in the giant footsteps of Sir David Attenborough after all.
