Summer Update

Before I head off to the field again, I figured I could do a quick update in pictures:

1) Amazing aquatic sciences conference and workshops in Santa Fe:

2) I enjoyed exploring the southwest a bit more after the meeting and workshop:

3) 10 days in the Tetons for an invasive species food web project in Kelly Warm Springs (yes, the bottom photo is a cichlid. And no, they are not supposed to be there!):

4) And now, back to into the field for a large rivers nutrient cycling project (photos coming soon!).

Yep, that just about covers it!  I love summers in Wyoming, and I can't wait to explore some new field sites over the next month and a half.

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READING: Tank et al. (2008) Are rivers just big streams? A pulse method to quantify nitrogen demand in a large river. Ecology.

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The first year

I recently finished my first academic year here, and things are going well. I took several courses, sent out proposals, and had my first committee meeting. More importantly, I've enjoyed the process. As I've thought over ideas and sought advice, the faculty and graduate students here have been generous with their time and opinions - and that's probably been the greatest help to me as a first year PhD student.

Weekend in the Fort

My weekend trip to Fort Collins was great.  The weather was nice, trees were blooming, and Odell Brewery had outdoor seating and live music at their Tap Room on Saturday afternoon:

We also arrived just in time to take a tour of the newly expanded brewery.  My favorite part?  The cask room (some of my favorite Odell brews are from their cask batches):

Oh, and there's a new brewery to add to the FoCo sampling list: Equinox Brewing.  I guess Fort Collins has good water?

We enjoyed dinner at Jay's Bistro (one of the best buffalo steaks I've ever had!) and stayed overnight at the Armstrong Hotel.  It was nice to get away and recharge for a weekend.

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READING: Newsome* et al. (2010). Pleistocene to historic shifts in bald eagle diets on the Channel Islands, California. PNAS. 

* Seth is a postdoc at the University of Wyoming in the Department of Zoology & Physiology
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April snow

As Erin mentioned, it does tend to snow in Laramie in April. (And also in the other months that don't end in "uly" or "gust.") One of the benefits is a long skiing season.

I'm not an accomplished skier, but I enjoy living close to so many options. In early April, I went skiing at Monarch, just a few hours away in Colorado. Although it was the first week of April, they still had fresh snow and a base of 80".

While winters are long here, they also provide good recreation - and in April, ski slopes can be just as nice as they are in mid-winter but less crowded.

Candidate!

My preliminary exams are over! (And yes, I passed!)  My writtens were actually fun (even though I didn't get much sleep during the process) and my oral exam went well. And I love my committee. They are all very supportive and help me think beyond the comfort zone of my dissertation topic, which is really rewarding.

It's nice to be back in non-prelim mode.  I have lots of work to do in the next month to prepare for an LTER working group, a metabolism modeling workshop, and the ASLO/NABS Aquatic Sciences Conference in June.

And in case you were wondering if all I ever think about is science: I'm heading down to Colorado for the weekend to celebrate the end of the prelim era.  Fort Collins is only an hour south of Laramie, so it's an easy weekend escape to check out different dining options, sample micro brews at Odell or New Belgium, wander around Old Town, and/or enjoy live music at the Aggie.

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READING: Gazeau et al. (2010). Effect of ocean acidification on the early stages of the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). Biogeosciences.
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April showers...

...or snow?  Either way, it's "spring time" in Laramie.  And that means a week of lovely chaco weather followed by a big snow storm!

I took these photos yesterday afternoon, about halfway to this morning's total accumulation:

University of Wyoming campus, 23 April 2010

Walking home, 23 April 2010

So now I get to break out the snow boots to walk to campus for Undergraduate Research Day!  

I am looking forward to hearing about the research-to-classroom connections made by our Wyoming Science Teacher Education Program (WySTEP) Fellows this year (I mentor graduate and undergraduate research partners for WySTEP during the summer).

I have also been working with an undergraduate student on a research project monitoring the impacts of an invasive snail on native freshwater invertebrates.  She will be presenting her results today as well as at the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography / North American Benthological Society Conference in June. 

The University of Wyoming offers several fellowships and scholarships to support undergraduate research.  Which, in turn, is a great opportunity for graduate students to mentor undergraduate researchers and expand their own research.  Getting involved with undergraduate research programs and projects has been very exciting and rewarding.

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READING: Taylor & Townsend (2010). Stoichiometric control of organic carbon–nitrate relationships from soils to the sea. Nature.
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Prelims: Day 7 Recap

Edits done, written exam turned in, and I just went out for a couple of beers at Front Street to celebrate with friends.

Now: I am ready to SLEEP!

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READING: Right now? Nothing.
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