Experience Reflection: Isabel Pen
“This grant helped me to pay for airfare and sustenance for this trip, something I would not be able to afford without Field Inclusive. This trip was essential for my dissertation, but it was also transformative for me personally. I know my mom would be proud of the work that I’m doing and the success I’ve been lucky enough to have. Because of Field Inclusive, I was able to not only collect the missing specimens needed for this project, but also connect to my identity a Mexican-American.”
BY ISABEL PEN
Growing up in Houston, Texas, some of my first memories are from trips to Galveston Island with my cousins. I remember being curious about the washed up jellies we would poke with sticks, and that scientific curiosity has carried me through an undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Houston, a master’s of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas, and now into the fifth year of my PhD studying the evolution of sea anemones here at the Ohio State University. For a chapter of my dissertation, I’m investigating three species in the genus Bunodeopsis that have overlapping distribution in the seagrass beds of the Caribbean. Although given different names, there are no explicit criteria for distinguishing between B. antilliensis, B. globulifera, and B. pelagica, and doubts remain about the validity of all three given their morphological similarity and overlapping distribution. To test their species boundaries and population genetics, I have traveled to stunning sea grass beds on beautiful Caribbean islands to collect specimens of these sea anemones since 2023. Though my specimen list is extensive, I was still missing samples from the Southern Gulf of Mexico ecoregion, a critical biogeographic zone representing the western-most portion of the range for these species.
Being a marine biologist means that field work consists of tide pooling, snorkeling, and diving in different marine habitats to find and collect sea anemones. After I collect specimens, I take detailed photos before preserving them in either ethanol or formalin, as preservation distorts their phenotype. During maintenance, I also record the specimens in a timelapse format to document activity level and reproduction behavior. Because I’ve had experience doing this type of field work before, I was aware of not only the physical challenges that come with tropical climates (like staying hydrated and lathered in reef-safe sunscreen), but also the interpersonal challenges. Having done most of my work in Spanish-speaking regions, I couldn’t be more grateful to my mom. As a Chicana and the first in her family to go to college, she was always supportive of me continuing my education. She also encouraged me to keep learning and
practicing Spanish after my foreign language classes ended, not only for practical reasons but as a way to connect with her culture and heritage. She instilled in me the importance of being respectful and polite, values deeply tooted in our culture. My experiences in the field have shown me how helpful being respectful and speaking the language can be, as asking the locals for seagrass spots in their language is the quickest and easiest way to find good habitat.
Going to Mexico was special for me, as I had never visited before. My grandparents were from Guanajuato and Tamaulipas, but my mom never got a chance to take me before she passed away two years ago. I thought about her often, hearing whispers of Spanish phrases she once shared with me and eating food I know she would have loved. One evening after a long day of snorkeling in seagrass beds and collecting specimens of Bunodeopsis, one of her favorite Selena songs played while eating dinner and made me feel like my mom would be proud of me for not only continuing my education but also for appreciating our heritage.
This grant helped me to pay for airfare and sustenance for this trip, something I would not be able to afford without Field Inclusive. This trip was essential for my dissertation, but it was also transformative for me personally. I know my mom would be proud of the work that I’m doing and the success I’ve been lucky enough to have. Because of Field Inclusive, I was able to not only collect the missing specimens needed for this project, but also connect to my identity a Mexican-American.
