Field Work Diaries: When things don’t go as expected…

A Tamarack (Larix laricina) seedling transplanted at my field site, King’s Point, NL. Well the growing season has definitely arrived in Newfoundland. I just came back from a hike where I noticed that for the most part, wildflowers have come and gone and that all the berries (which Newfoundland is known for) are starting to … [Read more…]

Field season: a time for reflection

Hey everyone! If there’s one thing you all know about me by now, it’s that I am absolutely in love with my research! That, and I just can’t seem to stop talking about it…but the thing is, I had to love it. When I set out to find a grad school program, I had to … [Read more…]

Patience is a virtue: short-term and long-term

Short-term patience We slog across the barrens as the rain comes at us sideways. We’re dressed appropriately for the weather – I’m still dry. Visibility is not great, but we see a caribou in the distance. I pull out my binoculars and my lab-mate asks: “do you see a calf?”. I squint through the rain … [Read more…]

Letter to the Editors

Dear Editors in Chief, I’m addressing this letter to you today to commend you on the work you’ve accomplished so far and encourage you as you approach your upcoming thesis completion. You might be a writer that edits as they go or you might be a speed writer that tackles their thesis head-on with the … [Read more…]

Looking forward…

Hello everyone! In my last entry, we had barely started into Spring (if one could have called it that), but as I write this blog we are now full on into Summer and St. John’s is beautiful! (Disclaimer: this may not be the actual case by the time this blog is posted and may also … [Read more…]

A new semester, a new routine…

When I last left you I was starting Spring semester, anticipating pleasant weather, and starting to prepare for comprehensive exams. I write today, pretty much in the same boat.  While the weather has gotten marginally better, I am still waiting for it to warm up a bit!  I have been outside enjoying running and biking, … [Read more…]

My Field Work Diary: Is it growing season yet?

Well folks, it’s that time of year again, when courses are complete, the campus is void of undergraduates, and the focus has shifted to field work. While elsewhere across the nation the leaves are out and the weather is ever becoming more summer-like, here in Newfoundland we haven’t quite made it there. And as a … [Read more…]

That moment when everything begins to fall into place…

Hi All! As I sit here trying to decide what to write my latest blog post about, my mind instinctually thinks back to the first round of thesis-oriented fieldwork I completed in May, just a few short weeks ago. As I have mentioned before, the fieldwork required for my Master’s research is to be comprised … [Read more…]

Conferencing as a Graduate Student…

I recently attended the Canadian Society of Ecology Evolution (CSEE) conference in Victoria, BC, and as I’ve been reflecting on my experiences at this conference (and others) I thought about sharing them in a blog post. To start: conferences are hard! Not only do we present our research as oral or poster presentations to experts … [Read more…]

Public access to the exclusive academia club!

Hello all! Hope you are as excited as me to be moving closer and closer to the summer. After visiting warm and uncharacteristically sunny Vancouver in early April and being welcomed back to St. John’s by a wonderful winter storm that left me stranded in Toronto for two days… summer can’t come soon enough. The … [Read more…]