Athletics: Diving into Real Life

 

Diver Gabby Haigler’s internship helped her solidify her career path while applying classroom learning to real-world research.

 

By Micaela Myers

 

Growing up in Casper, Gabby Haigler was a three-time all-state and four-time all-conference diver as well as a member of the honor roll and winner of the Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Award. She brought that excellence as a scholar and an athlete to the University of Wyoming, where Haigler was named All-Mountain West Conference for three years on the swimming and diving team. This past May, she graduated with her degree in wildlife and fisheries biology and management and stayed at UW to pursue graduate certificates in unmanned aerial systems and remote sensing. 

An internship during her senior year helped Haigler gain hands-on experience and narrow down her career path. Through the School of Computing Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE) internship, Haigler was paired with a doctoral student conducting time-series analysis of tree ring growth across multiple tree species. 

“My role centered on working with large datasets from the International Tree-Ring Data Bank,” Haigler says. “Using RStudio software, I cleaned, analyzed and visualized tree-ring data spanning nearly 1,000 years — from 1050 to 1968. Once I was familiar with the dataset and analysis methods, I had the opportunity to help steer the project in a direction that aligned with my own interests. That freedom allowed me to ask some of my own questions within the broader scope of the research.”

For her project, Haigler investigated synchrony patterns among four tree species across six temporal scales. Synchrony patterns are how parts of a complex system coordinate their activity over time. She then applied statistical models to explore how growth synchrony varied. At the end, she presented her research at UW’s Undergraduate Research and Inquiry Day. 

“This internship significantly contributed to my academic and professional development,” Haigler says. “It reinforced my interests in ecological research and affirmed my goal of pursuing a career that blends data analysis, environmental science and policy. It also helped me realize that I’m particularly drawn to the research side of conservation and management: asking questions, working with data and contributing to the knowledge that informs real-world decisions. Above all else, it highlighted the importance of critical thinking and flexibility in scientific work, which are skills I will carry with me as I wrap up my academic journey and move into my career.”

Haigler’s ultimate goal is to combine her background in wildlife and fisheries biology with advanced geospatial tools to support conservation, land management and ecological research.

“I would encourage students to pursue an internship even if it isn’t required for their major,” Haigler says. “It’s one of the best ways to gain hands-on experience, test out different career paths and build skills that won’t come from coursework alone. I’d also suggest choosing something a little outside of your comfort zone — college is the perfect time to push yourself, try new things and expand your skillset before stepping into the real world.”