Hi everybody,
I am starting a masters program in the fall and I am wondering if Im having a normal experience for picking a thesis. I have a pretty strong idea of the area Id like to study. Im interested in remote sensing in intertidal areas with an emphasis on understanding the impact of sea level rise. I got into a Marine Science program that has access to a lot of folks doing various work across different aspects of marine science including remote sensing but my advisor is a marine mammal and GIS specialist. For some reason or another, my advisor got the impression that I would be interested in working in wetlands. There is a research team that she is coordinating with that is already doing UAV RS wetland work and she really seems to want me to do research with them. I am interested in the UAV part but really am much more interested in intertidal areas. I will probably go on and do a PhD after my masters but Im wondering what I should do? Should I just do the wetlands project? Its part of a NOAA research study and the funding, resources and support are already there. I would get a lot of support but its not what Im really excited about at this point. Should I stick to my gut and really push to do an intertidal project? Or should I just do the wetlands work and if Im still interested in intertidal areas find a lab for a PhD project that will support intertidal RS. Also, my advisor said she really doesn't recommend people coming into a masters program with plans for a thesis, that they should take a semester or two to see what is even possible before they pick something, so I am willing to admit that I am probably jumping the gun. I also feel like Ive gotten off on the wrong foot with her. I really like this advisor and the program does seem like a good fit otherwise. I do feel a little annoyed that I am being pressured into the wetlands research but I also realize that sometimes for a masters program its more important to just get a project done.
Thanks
SF in the bay area