In an Octopus's Garden

The Falmouth Road Race

2009-08-09T09:38:00.001-07:00

8/9/09Many calories were burned in Woods Hole/Falmouth this morning. Around 10,000 people (so the rumors say) ran today in the 37th annual Falmouth Road Race. Since the race path runs right near our Oyster Pond Home, a number of Summer Student Fellows and Joint Program Students traveled down to Surf Drive to watch the runners.The man in first place (below), who I’m sure ended up winning, had a

Who is the scientist?

2009-08-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

8/1/09I am currently sitting at a picnic table, basking in the sun behind the Redfield lab building. It is a gorgeous day!Today’s entry is about a lecture I attended yesterday afternoon as part of the 2009 Woods Hole Diversity Celebration. Dr. Steven Shapin (pictured below), the Franklin L. Ford Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University, delivered a talk entitled “Who is the

A Diversion

2009-07-29T12:29:00.001-07:00

7/29/09Sometimes lab work requires a lot of waiting. Usually it’s a good idea to use that down time to read papers, or go through data (when you have data to go through). Sometimes I like to clean up the lab or do some minor lab tasks like sterilizing pipette tips or replenishing supplies.But what can sometimes be more important than any of those responsible activities, especially when not

Or shall I call you doctor?

2009-07-28T09:03:00.000-07:00

7/28/09Kate’s DefenseFinishing a degree is both a joyous and possibly stressful occasion. This summer, after 6 years of hard work and determination, Kate Buckman, the PhD student in my lab, completed her doctoral work. Yesterday, she gave her public talk and closed-door defense. The public presentation lasted about 45 minutes and was followed by questions. Then there was the scary part (or at

Did you know that… (Part One)

2009-07-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

…there are large gaps between what scientists think and what the public believes?My mother recently e-mailed me a NY Times article that highlighted differences in views held by most of the science community and views held by most Americans. You can read the article online at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/science/10survey.html.The article reports results of a recent survey that investigated

Tidbits

2009-07-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

7/15/09I’m working on a longer entry to be posted soon about communicating science to the press and to the public. It’ll focus on the discrepancies between beliefs held by the science and the non-science communities. In the meantime, however, I am going to cave in under some pressure from my friends to do a follow-up on the 4th of July, the Barn Olympics, and some other goings-on around

Ethics in Science

2009-07-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

7/10/09Yesterday the summer students gathered in the Clark building (above) for a workshop about ethics in science. While I think many went into the 3+ hour meeting emanating what might be called less than positive vibes—or at least mild skepticism—everyone I’ve talked to came out of it feeling more conscientious about ethical issues in science and happy that we’d spent that time discussing such

From Seafloor to Shank Lab: an odyssey of ATC and G

2009-07-09T06:11:00.000-07:00

07/09/09My friends and family often wonder what it is I actually do everyday. Lab work is very much a black box for people who have never been inside a lab or been privy to a friend’s lab tales.How is it that we’re able to take an animal off the seafloor and eventually end up with genetic sequences that help us understand how that animal evolved and how it’s related to other animals in other

Fourth Of July in the Hole

2009-07-03T19:35:00.000-07:00

I’d love to give you the impression that all we do is work day and night, completely engrossed in the perpetual search for scientific breakthroughs and the subsequent enlightenment that is sure to follow. Unfortunately, I feel obligated to tell you that we do other fun things, too. This weekend is a perfect opportunity to sit

Open Water

2009-06-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

In April, my friend mailed me a dried four-leaf clover. I damaged the fragile specimen while opening his letter and thought I was in for a streak of bad luck.The luck charm must have still worked, however, because not long thereafter I got an e-mail from Dr. Shank asking me to accompany him on a research cruise to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench (the deepest point in the ocean)! The

Introductions

2009-06-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

Consider this a prologue:I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. While my proximity to the ocean certainly influenced my development and shaped my childhood experiences, I didn’t always know I wanted to be a marine biologist, nor was I always interested in science. Once you’re hooked, though, there’s no going back! In high school I participated in a marine science course at the Sea