Science in the Triangle

Editor’s note: Molly is an example of what can happen when girls are free to explore and supported as science activists - even when that means having a menagerie of 36 fish, salamanders, turtles, dogs, rabbits and other pets at home. She is a seventh grader at Resurrection Lutheran School in Cary and the founder of the Raleigh Aquatic Turtle Adoption. In this guest post, which she wrote with her mother, Molly describes how getting a pet fish led to planning a STEM summer camp at her school this year.

My name is Molly, I am 12 and I created STEM Leadership Camp.

Betta fish come in many colors. This is a green one.

When I was little I wanted tons of pets. My mom said I could have a betta fish if I took really good care of it. So I got Rainbow, who lived for two years. When I was 5, I got my first puppy, Zoe, who is my best friend.

Once we drove by a pond and I saw a turtle. I had seen one in a nature book, so I asked for a turtle. My mom and I looked up what kind of tank they like and where to get one.

Eventually, we adopted two turtles from an owner who couldn’t keep them. We decided to adopt more and realized we needed a permit to have more than four, so my mom applied for one and now we take care of many turtles.We also created Raleigh Aquatic Turtle Adoption (RATA) www.raleighaquaticturtleadoption.com and it has been running since 2006. RATA helps to get new homes for unwanted aquatic pet turtles.

I currently have about 20 fish, including 13 koi, three salamanders, 12 turtles, two dogs, two rabbits, one betta and three moon jellyfish, making a grand total of 36 pets. Read more…