Rob Robins, a senior biologist in the Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Division, explains his background and what led him to select ichthyology (the study of fish) as a career.
Interview and videos produced by Sarah Trimm for Explore Research at the University of Florida.
Transcript
Rob Robins: So how I became an ichthyologist has a lot to do with who my parents are. I came from an unusual background I suppose in that both of my parents are PhD ichthyologists, so from a very young age I was exposed to nature in the form of going to various water bodies and collecting fishes with my parents and some of it in a very traditional manner, like many kids do with hook and line, but there was always that added educational component, and it was clear to me from a young age that you could pursue a career working with fishes.
My father curated a very large collection of preserved fish specimens, much of which is now here at the University of Florida, so as a small child I grew up around specimens like this. I remember fondly going to the museum with my dad and wandering around in the collection and looking at all of these specimens and just being fascinated by what I could see there and learning about fishes from my parents.
Learn more about the Ichthyology collection at the Florida Museum.