This past week has been pretty busy with getting classes started and such. Overall it hasn't been too exciting. I briefly met with my advisor Wednesday and he showed me where my desk was located and sent me articles to read regarding which research project I would like to work on. I will meet with him again on Monday with a decision! I had to rearrange my schedule a little bit too. Now I am taking ecosystem ecology, biometeorology, a NRM (natural resource management) seminar for one credit and a 2 credit research methods course which helps students get stared on their research projects.
The weather has been great...sunny and in the 70's! All of the leaves are changing color...all to yellow! There is mostly only aspen and birch for deciduous tress. My advisor told me it could start snowing as soon as in two weeks!! I am looking forward to slightly cooler temperatures! I didn't bring much for summer clothes!
This evening I went to a department BBQ for all students and faculty and friends. This gave me a chance to meet a few more graduate students and a feel for the department overall! Towards the end, a few of us were offered a tour of the reindeer farm right next to where the BBQ took place. We went right into the pens with the reindeer! Luckily I had my camera with me, so I took a couple pictures of them! When they walk around, they make a clicking noise which I guess is from their tendons in their legs so they can find each other in the snow. We all fed them lichen right our of our hands! These ones are raised to be slaughtered in the end but also look at their nutrition and do artificial insemination. The big one in the pictures is the one they take to schools and put on postcards around Christmas and the little ones surrounding it are one year old.
