Minute with a Muskie

Chris Dague
Class of '13
Chris Dague

Chris Dague received his Bachelor of Science in Biology. Chris, a Cleveland, Ohio, native, chose Muskingum for the “small, friendly, and close-knit community.” He saw the campus as a place where he could be involved and cultivate lasting relationships. He was also attracted to the small class sizes.

Chris was involved in Beta Beta Beta, the biology honorary, as well as Omicron Delta Kappa, the Junior/Senior honorary. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity and worked as a tour guide on campus.

For six months (following graduation until early November), Chris interned as a research technician with Midwest Biodiversity Institute. Although based in Hilliard, Ohio, Chris has been traveling for several weeks at a time to upstate New York, where he has performed river and stream surveys as part of a four-person crew subcontracted by the EPA. Chris and his team are responsible for sampling at 58 of the 1800 sites in the country to help complete the National Streams and Rivers Survey (done every five years to assess the condition of our nation’s rivers and streams).

“Essentially I have been collecting and recording macro invertebrate, fish, and other biological indicators to determine the water quality of the surrounding area. I am wading and boating on bodies of water for the majority of my internship.” Chris found this opportunity through the Science Division Newsletter.

Chris’s long-term goal is “to work in environmental compliance or the monitoring of water quality/natural resources. I want to better protect and serve the surrounding environment and the people that recreate within it. With that being said, my dream job is to work as an Environmental Scientist for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.”

Chris strongly believes that without the support of his Muskingum faculty, “I would have not had the necessary skill set and experience to earn this position.”

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