The Bat Field Technician
But you can call her "bat girl"
Deep in the woods of East Tennessee, Julia Hoeh, 27, lives a nocturnal life — working shifts that end as late as 3 a.m. She's helping to research the effects of white nose syndrome on bats, affixing radio trackers to the bats and collecting tissue samples.
Required skills: "An ability to go with the flow and be prepared for schedule changes very frequently. ... It seems any time we're prepared to have days off is when we catch the bat we've been looking for."
Other important skills: The "ability and willingness to go off-trail hiking. Lots of time outdoors at night. Which is probably one of my favorite parts of the job, but some people are scared of being outside in the dark."
Best thing about the job: "I really enjoy working with bats and getting to see them up close, learn new things about their life cycle and their interactions in the ecosystem — their importance in the whole of the environment that they live in."
What people don't understand about bats: "A lot of people think of bats as just a flying mouse ... they are so much different than rodents in general. ... And they are just so fricking adorable."
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