Today, we’re celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science by sharing the experiences and insights from some of the amazing women in science at East Coast Zoological Foundation, the parent company of Brevard Zoo. Read on to learn more about how these women and girls are using their degrees to make a positive impact on the environment and animals around them. To read all of our features, visit this page.

Let’s meet Rosemary Lucas, our certified veterinary technician.

What is your official title, and how long have you been at the Zoo?

Veterinary Technician. 8 months at Brevard and 14 years as a Vet Tech.

What’s your educational background?

I have an Associate’s of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology and a Bachelor’s of Science in Marine Biology

Why did you pursue your field?

I always knew as a young child that I wanted to work with wildlife conservation. I originally thought I would do field conservation but found an opportunity to work on the medical side and enjoyed it so went to the Veterinary Technology program.

What are some challenges about your work?

Unlike human medicine, our patients cannot tell us what is wrong, so we have to rely on observations for changes in behavior. We also work with many species with much short life spans, so we deal with the loss of these animals, which can be hard in a zoo setting since you form strong bonds to the animals.

What’s the most fulfilling part of your job?

For the rehabilitation cases, getting to see them released back into the wild. For our Zoo patients is keeping them healthy so they are amazing ambassadors for their species. These animals allow many people to get to know about the species and help inspire generations to conserve wildlife and wild spaces.

Who motivated you to pursue your field?

I wanted to make a difference in wildlife conservation.

What advice would you give to women or girls interested in pursuing a career in science?

My advice is go for it, and don’t give up. You can change the world with your passion.