30 September 2024: My time at NAMMCO

Background

After finishing my bachelor’s in marine science in Croatia, I decided to continue my academic journey in Bergen, Norway. The research on harbour porpoise I did for my master’s thesis led me to the NAMMCO website. Seeing what a valuable source of information I found here made me dig a little deeper into the organisation itself. That is how I found out about the internship opportunity. The deadline for applying coincided perfectly with the end of my master’s programme so I decided to give it a go. The prospect of a snowy winter and enjoying the northern lights just made the opportunity that much more appealing.

About my internship

During my internship I got to learn more than I could hope for. Coming from a strictly scientific and research background, it was a very different experience working with an organisation that facilitates the conversation between different stakeholders and makes recommendations that inform decision-makers.

In the first few weeks, I settled into the routine of a working person, and not a student. Later on, I attended several working group meetings. One of those meetings was held in Copenhagen, so I got the opportunity to go on my first work trip. My role was technical support during the hybrid meeting, as well as assisting with note-taking and report-writing. A highlight of my internship was a work trip to Reykjavík, Iceland, for the Annual Council Meeting.

One of my biggest tasks in this past year was the organisation of the 6^th Marine Mammal Student Symposium. It was the first time I was in charge of organising such an event. Learning how to navigate the organisation of an international, hybrid event, and coordinate a group of volunteers from multiple institutes to create an interesting, engaging, and fruitful event was very fun, but also at times challenging. During my internship, I also improved my skills in knowledge dissemination. My first posts on social media were very technical, given my background—now, being able to convey scientific information in a fun and understandable way is something that will be helpful wherever I go.

I was honoured with the opportunity to represent myself and NAMMCO during the Arctic Frontiers Science for Schools event, where I was one of the keynote speakers. Currently, I am finishing a paper on Pinniped abundance estimates. I am looking forward to wrapping that up and publishing it in NAMMCO Scientific Publications.

Challenges

Moving to Tromsø in the winter period, I was a bit scared of the cold, dark months that were before me. The winter ended up not being so scary, and with the help of a sunlight lamp, it was very interesting and different to any other winter I have experienced. It was also a big adjustment from being a full-time student with no fixed working hours, to following an office hours routine, and allowing myself to leave work at work and not bring it home.

Life in Tromsø

I arrived to Tromsø in late September, just in time to get to watch the city change from beautiful autumn colours to winter wonderland. Nature and ambiance around Tromsø are unlike anything I have ever seen, from the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets during the short winter days, endless days with midnight sun, the city covered with a big layer of snow making everything that much more magical, to nightly northern lights displays that will never stop being breathtaking. My one-year adventure up north gave me the perfect excuse to go exploring, from the surrounding mountains and hikes around the city to finally making the trip to Lofoten islands. Seeing reindeer running around the island, and at last, seeing harbour porpoises that I had written so much about was something I will cherish forever.

If this piqued your interest, you can read more about the internship here.