Wading Through Research

by Luke Lamb The 250 page meeting program can be daunting to students new to ESA but it's really FULL of opportunity. Every year ecologists from around the world get together at the Ecological Society of America ( ESA ) meeting for a week-long endeavor into all-things ecology. As a student whose only attended two ESA meetings, ESA2017 and ESA2018 , this meeting has already been instrumental in shaping my professional perspective on the field of ecology and how its members conduct themselves. My hope with this post is to provide some evidence of the benefits that being involved within ESA as a student provides and how to make the most out of future meetings! For starters, the ESA is organized into a variety of different sections and chapters . Chapters are organized regionally while sections are organized around a common interest, like everybody is a student, or early career researcher, paleoecologist, etc. ESA says : “[Section] activities are intended to encourage...

The title of our Data Nugget. If you are passionate about the broader impact of your data, you should consider incorporating it into a Data Nugget.  Data Nugget s are an opportunity for scientists to bring their data into the K-12 classroom. A Data Nugget is an activity, developed by scientists and teachers, that use real scientific data. Using real data in the classroom gives students experience working with "messy ecological data." Two summers ago I worked with my advisor , a Research Experience for Undergraduate student, and a Research Experience for Teachers intern ( RET ) to complete a study investigating how gradients of salt and phosphorus influence soil microbes. Our RET, Ms. Casal, was fantastic! Ms. Casal's background is in chemistry and she teaches at Felix Varela . Ms. Casal went into the field with us to collect samples, helped run analyses on samples in the lab, and co-designed our Data Nugget. Our RET, Ms. Casal, helping process samples in the l...

There are endless opportunities for graduate students to participate in science outreach! However, few receive proper training and are prepared to attend such events. We obviously know our research but translating that research to the general public is often difficult. Most outreach events require preparation and involve tabling. Having an activity that explains your research is essential to effective tabling. This is usually challenging to scientists who struggle to communicate the intricacies of their work to the general public. The science behind my activity. For example, how do I efficiently explain how I study how extracellular enzyme potential in peat soil changes with saltwater intrusion. To me, that is the simplest way of summarizing my research, but only a few scientists and I would understand it. I needed help translating what I do. If you are looking for a formal training experience to build up your science translation skills and effectively communica...

Written by Benjamin J. Wilson For a background refresher on the impacts of sea level rise in South Florida, see my previous blog post. Figure 1. Feedbacks that lead to the creation of wetland peat soil. Peat soil is the backbone of many wetlands. It is full of organic-rich carbon that is formed when plants perform photosynthesis: they suck up carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the atmosphere and use it to make roots. These roots go into the soil, and because decomposition is slow in wetlands, these carbon-rich roots are stored in the soil for very long periods of time, allowing the marsh to grow in elevation (Fig. 1). Under freshwater conditions, this carbon can be stored in the soils for thousands of years. This leads to a landscape full of pristine marshes that provide habitat for wildlife and are very efficient at filtering contaminants out of water (Fig. 2a). However, in some brackish marshes, especially in the Everglades, an exciting feature appears. From above, you can ...

I am passionate about science communication, and I try to come up with accessible ways to present my research to the public. I know that my research is important and work hard to share its value with others beyond academia. I also know that many of my fellow graduate students are also committed to scientific outreach. I am not expert in science communication yet. However; I have sought opportunities to advance my science communication skills. I have plenty of advice to other graduate students looking to do the same, so I am going to write a series of blog posts explaining how I have translated my research to the public and what opportunities are available. Shelby Servais' dissertation summarized in a word cloud. Here is the first and most simple; I created a word cloud with the top used words in my dissertation. I think the dissertation is necessary to communicate the findings of your research in an academic setting. However, it is probably the least accessible format for...

Post by: Luke Lamb-Wotton   A satellite image from the 2017 Atlantic season. Pictured are Hurricanes Katia (left), Irma (center), and Jose (right). Credit: Wikimedia Commons.     For all of us living in coastal areas susceptible to high-energy storms, we all know too well the mayhem and devastation that can be associated with major landfalling hurricanes (category 3+). It took me a mere 3 months living in South Florida to experience my first run-in with one of these wicked storms.  On September 10 th , 2017, after Hurricane Irma swept through Cuba and prompted a mandatory evacuation order for the Florida Keys, Irma came screaming towards South Florida, originally predicted to make a direct hit on Miami-Dade but opted (to Miami-Dade’s relief) to take a more south-westerly track towards Tampa Bay. Regardless of the exact track, Irma’s expansive wind-field and storm surge still wreaked havoc on Miami-Dade’s infrastructure (some images can be found her...

We live in a reality where getting a graduate degree does not mean you are automatically qualified for a job. In fact, according to a recent NSF study , 42.1% of 2014 PhD graduates reported no definite job commitments at the time of graduation. This number is a bit debated but we all know recent grads who sent out hundreds of applications and were forced to take whatever job they could get. Want a tenure track job? An industry position? A place in the government? You will send out tens if not hundreds of applications to these positions and hear nothing back, but it’s not necessarily because you are not qualified. Jobs like these are not a dime a dozen these days, and employers get so many applications that no matter how good your resume looks you are likely to get looked over. So how do you get your name to the top of the pile? You probably already know the answer: make yourself known. Network with the right people at the right time and make sure they remember you. ...