Southern Fried Science

10 Tips for grad students to make the most of a scientific conference

August 21, 2013October 27, 2013 David Shiffman 22 Comments

Science

davesquare

Presenting research at the International Marine Conservation Congress in Victoria, BC. — Presenting research at the International Marine Conservation Congress in Victoria, BC (2011).

I just returned from the Society for Conservation Biology’s International Congress for Conservation Biology. It was a great meeting, and I learned a lot. It also marked a milestone for me, as although I am just starting the 3rd year of my Ph.D., the ICCB was the 20th scientific conference I’ve attended. Inspired by this milestone, by Josh Drew’s recent post on the subject, and by the excellent graduate student networking workshop held at the ICCB, I wanted to share my tips and tricks for graduate students to get the most out of a conference

Please note that while these tips have served me well and are generally applicable to professional meetings in the sciences, they may not be appropriate for every field or every person’s goals for a conference. Additionally, some may be considered quite basic, but I assure you that I’ve met people (particularly graduate students attending a conference for a first time) who don’t know them. I welcome a discussion in the comments.

#Ocean2Ocean: Dorkface has Died of Dysentery Edition

August 20, 2013October 27, 2013 Andrew Thaler

Blogging

Location: Scotts Bluff, NE

Distance Traveled: 1837 miles

Distance Remaining: 1163 miles

MPG: not great.

After replacing the surge-break assembly on the trailer, we resumed the long haul across Missouri, ending the day with a 10 PM arrival at the Diamond B ranch. The goats we’re ready to get out of the car.

Tired, but still wired from too much caffeine and a frustrating day, we made the mistake of turning on the TV to see if there were any good shows on. We discovered something along the lines of Doomsday Castle Builders. I adore Doomsday Preppers and find their mentality absolutely fascinating. However, I adore them in much the same way that I adore the poor one-eyed cat that constantly tries to get into our chicken coop. If there actually were a doomsday, these guys are the last people with which you’d want to be stuck. Anti-social, paranoid, trigger happy — I can’t help but assume the fact that they operate under the assumption that people will immediately resort to roving gangs of murders is less about understanding the human condition and more about projection. The entire mentality of the “prepper” movement necessarily ignores the fact that civilization exists because we’re an inherently cooperative species. It does make for entertaining television.

Actually, on second thought, we’re probably better off if the preppers go lock themselves in bunkers and let the rest of us get on with the business of recovery.

#Ocean2Ocean: Corn Maze Edition

August 19, 2013October 27, 2013 Andrew Thaler

Blogging

Location: Columbia, MO

Distance Traveled: 1119 miles

Distance Remaining: 1881 miles

MPG: 12.8

Status: awaiting repairs

The drive through Indiana and Illinois was long and uneventful. The goats have settled into their routine, and now seem to prefer napping in their crate to climbing in and out of the truck for a walkabout. We did get to see the St. Louis Arch as we drove through town, which the most exciting moment of the drive. Otherwise, we saw plenty of corn.

We stayed the night at the Circle B Ranch, another fabulous horse hotel. No llamas, this time, but the goats were delighted to have a stall to wander around and the horses were very curious about their new barn companions.

This morning, after more than 1000 miles, we finally had our first breakdown, as the surge-break assembly on one of trailer tires rusted out. We’re currently sitting in Columbia, MO awaiting a mechanic to come out and take a look. For what it’s worth, UHaul’s roadside assistance was professional and responsive.

#Ocean2Ocean: Bluegrass State Edition

August 18, 2013October 27, 2013 Andrew Thaler 3 Comments

Blogging

Location: West of Lexington, KY

Distance traveled: 645 miles

Distance remaining: 2355 miles

MPG: 12.2

Last night we checked in to the delightful Sunday Stables, where Luna and Hermione shared a barn (but not a stall) with horses, cats, chickens, and a llama. Susan Sunday was a fabulous host and the goats were glad of solid ground and some room to roam.

We crossed the border into Kentucky earlier this morning, and we greeted with the sight of massive oil refineries as well as an Amazon.com warehouse, very different from the mountains and coal plants of West Virginia.

#Ocean2Ocean: North Carolina in the rearview

August 17, 2013October 27, 2013 Andrew Thaler

Blogging

After 7 hours of driving (North Carolina is a long state), we have crossed the Virginia border. Our departure from coastal NC was marked, inexplicably, by a flock of wild turkeys on the side of 70. Inconveniently, it also happens to be move in week for several Carolina universities; it was slow going through the Triangle.

The goats are calm, but confused.

From Ocean to Ocean: The Great Southern Fried Migration

August 16, 2013October 27, 2013 Andrew Thaler 4 Comments

Blogging

The time has finally come. After 11 years in North Carolina, I have finally succumbed to the insatiable human desire to venture beyond the horizon. Tomorrow morning, Amy and I will hitch our worldly possessions to my tough old truck and drive west until we reach the Pacific Ocean. And, because we’re 1/4 of Southern Fried Science, we’ll live blog the entire journey. A few FAQ’s before we go: What are you doing in California? Amy has a post-doctoral fellowship at the California Ocean Science Trust, where she’ll be developing a new citizen science initiative. I will be searching for work once I get there. So, if you’re an employer Oakland or the San Francisco Bay area, and need a crack deep sea ecologist, conservation geneticist, or science communicator, please take a look at my Curriculum Vitae. What will happen to your chickens? The chickens have been adopted by a family who will love them and their eggs for years to come. I’ve said my goodbyes to Poly, Tikka, Olga, and Masala. What will happen to your goats? Luna and Hermione are coming with us. What?

Happy Fun Science Friday!!

August 16, 2013October 28, 2013 Kersey Sturdivant

Science

kerseysquae

HAPPY FUN SCIENCE FRIDAY.

Let me begin by imploring any readers who are interested in a more ‘Open Ocean,’ to help support our crowd funding initiative – #OpenCTD.

http://www.rockethub.com/projects/26388-oceanography-for-everyone-the-openctd#description-tab

So for a number of years I have been celebrating Fun Science Friday; a mini-holiday that originated years ago when I was in graduate school. Our professor would bring Smarties to class each Friday, and we students would have some fun science exercise before diving into the more intricate nuances of the course. I was thoroughly enamored with FSF, and not just because of those delicious Smarties, and endeavored to spread FSF wherever I went (some places were more receptive than others). I have finally been convinced by the Southern Fried crew to move my rather informal celebration of FSF, where I normally post a fun science fact each Friday, to generating a short blog about what I would normally post. So to all the Southern Fried readers, welcome to Fun Science Friday!!

Shark Regulation Updates

August 13, 2013October 28, 2013 Chuck Bangley 12 Comments

Conservation

While Shark Week was raging along, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) approved a new round of shark fishery regulations for public comment. Quite a bit has happened since the last time we covered U.S. shark fisheries here, so it’s time for a bit of a recap before discussing how the latest developments affect sharks and the people who fish for them.

Read More “Shark Regulation Updates” »

The Ocean belongs to everyone. Shouldn’t we all have access to the tools needed to study it?

August 12, 2013October 27, 2013 Andrew Thaler

The Open CTD Project

Oceanography for Everyone – The OpenCTD I believe that scientific research should have as few barriers to participation as possible. I believe that not only should the results of scientific research be freely available to the public, but that the tools–software, hardware, and expertise–of science should be made as accessible as possible. In many cases, … Read More “The Ocean belongs to everyone. Shouldn’t we all have access to the tools needed to study it?” »

A Shark Week 2013 retrospective…with memes!

August 12, 2013August 14, 2013 David Shiffman 7 Comments

Conservation, Popular Culture, Science

davesquare

As Shark Week 2013 comes to a close, I wanted to take a look back at which part of my outreach strategy worked (and didn’t work), as well as what I liked and disliked about Shark Week as a whole. Ever since my “15 important shark conservation and management terms explained with memes” post, I’ve been looking for an opportunity to incorporate more internet humor into a blog post, so here goes…

While this Shark Week allowed scientists like myself to reach the public on a large scale, most of the content was...troubling. — While this Shark Week allowed scientists like myself to reach the public on a large scale, most of the content was…troubling.