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May 21, 2007 Zimmerman was a driving force behind the third Insectapalooza, which attracted 2,300 people.
Student profile: Ariel Zimmerman
Major: Entomology and biology, concentration in systematics and biodiversity Why did you choose Cornell?
The diversity of strengths across so many fields within the life sciences was too good to pass up. Main Cornell extracurricular activity -- why is this important to you?
My independent research, which forces me to think critically about everything I learn in the classroom, and it gives me goals that I can continuously work toward. There's a tremendous amount of satisfaction that comes with understanding something new about a biological system. And I get to interact with living organisms. The list goes on and on. While at Cornell, what other accomplishments/activities are you most proud of?
Insectapalooza! I was proud to serve as activities and volunteer coordinator for this massive entomology outreach event. It was a huge challenge pulling together the faculty, undergraduates, graduates, facilities staff and Cornell administration to make the event so successful. It was most rewarding to see the mutual satisfaction of the presenters at the event sharing their research and passion about bugs with the visitors who were totally blown away by how cool and diverse the insects were. Who or what influenced your Cornell education the most?
I was influenced the most during my time at Cornell by a faculty mentor, Linda Rayor, who has believed in me for my full four years, who is herself a passionate, dedicated teacher and scientist. She relentlessly poked and prodded me to be honest about the quality of my work, supported me through the hardest times in my Cornell career and inspired me with her own honesty about what to expect from life as an academic. What Cornell memory do you treasure the most?
Whoa, tough call ... Meeting my two best friends, my first date at Cornell, being tapped by a secret society, Insectapalooza, watching the sun go down over the gorge, the first time I went to the top of the clock tower. What are your plans for next year and beyond?
I plan to take some time off to travel before graduate school, try some different kinds of fieldwork and relax. I'm hoping to eventually snag a career where I can teach, do research, participate in environmental conservation and learn at the same time ... possibly academia. |
