In this Meet the Undergraduate blog post, we spoke to BSc Biology student Chloe Chapman, who joined the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences (SBCS) at Queen Mary University of London in 2017. She talks about her experience of the Biology programme, her upcoming research project in Greece and her plans for the future.
Chloe on a field trip in Croatia
Why did you decide to study Biology at Queen Mary?
I did Biology, Chemistry and Maths at A Level. After thinking about the kind of career I wanted to do in the future, Biology was a good fit for me as I want to work with animals. The Biology programme at Queen Mary was very broad with a lot of choice in the second and third years, so it could lead on to lots of opportunities in the future.
I wanted to stay in London and I loved Queen Mary’s campus, everything is here and not spread out like many other London universities. Being part of the Russell Group was important, but I also had a great experience at the offer holder day I attended here. I liked the way the lecturers and student ambassadors spoke about the programme.
What do you enjoy about your course?
I’ve really enjoyed the trips that I’ve been on as part of the Biology course. In the first year we went to Somerset, working in the woods and salt marshes, with field work supporting what we learned in lectures on the trip.
Earlier this year, we went to Millport in Scotland where we collected marine life samples and took them back to the lab to study in more detail before returning them to the water, including an octopus that escaped at one point.
Most recently I went to Croatia on the Ecological Interactions II module. We went to freshwater rivers, streams and sink holes, focussing on marine biology and how the geology of Croatia affects what lives there.
Tell us more about your research project
This summer I’ll be doing a three-week research project in Greece. I will be studying the social behaviour of sea turtles, working with several PhD students from the School. I’ll be swimming with the sea turtles and filming their behaviour – how they interact with each other and if they have a specific territory. The final part of the project will be analysing the data we collect.
What are your plans for the future?
After I’ve graduated, I plan to spend a year building my work experience with animals, adding to some of the veterinary summer placements I’m doing this summer. I then plan to study postgraduate veterinary medicine.