Three years ago, I was meeting with graduate students and potential graduate advisors, hopeful and excited about the years to come. A few months later, I submitted applications and the prospects of fulfilling my goals seemed just within arm’s reach. Then, a global pandemic happened. Looking back at the events of the last two years,…
Category: Science and Culture
On Welcoming Man’s Best Friend to Our Home: Guide for first-time puppy owners
Getting a new puppy can be one of the greatest joys in life. From the moment you lay eyes on them, to the first time you hold them, cuddle them, and comfort them, they have a way of making it into your heart and staying there. New puppies often times become family members, best friends,…
Science & Culture: The Oil Everyone Doesn’t Know They’re Obsessed With
If you have ever been so bored you actually read the label on that box of cookies you bought the other day at the grocery store, you may have seen one of these symbols before: Left) Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil Logo [Source]. Right) RSPO Palm Oil Label [Source]. If you are like most people…
The Cat Who Caused an Ecological Disaster
From the humor they provide in funny pet videos to the physical comfort of waking up next to a furry friend in the morning, your ordinary housecat is probably a source of great joy in your life. Unfortunately, cats have had a mostly negative impact in the ecosystems we’ve introduced them to. Many cats are…
Racial inequality in academia: The journey to equity and inclusion starts within.
Disclosure: I am not an expert on racial inequality in STEM. As a white, cisgender woman, my privilege has precluded me from enduring what my colleagues of color have experienced and from birth, this privilege has reinforced clouded perceptions of the world around me. I am still learning what it means to confront systemic racism,…
A Tail of Two Kitties: The Beauty of Being Blind
The classroom is very different from the real world. This is something those of us that study animals and their behavior understand on a fundamental level. However, seeing concepts play out in real life that are usually taught in university lecture halls can be surprising and powerful. Instead of seeing textbook figures on PowerPoint slides,…
Introducing Minorities in Shark Science (MISS): The organization changing the sharkscape
As Shark Week 2020 airs, a new organization has emerged to “break the mold and change the world.”
#SciComm: Selfish or selfless?
“Looks good! Except. What is ‘phytoplankton’?” I chuckled as I read the text message from my editor, once again surprised at my oversight. I had just sent her my latest article on whale feeding habits, and as per usual, her text reminded me that I took some forms of scientific knowledge for granted. I am…
Ethogram Statement of Solidarity
We stand in solidarity with the Black members of our community whose paths within academia and society have been challenged by structural racism and oppression. We see and vehemently oppose the blatant acts of ongoing police brutality. More broadly, we condemn the systemic and structural racism that allows for the excessive use of force and the lack…
Mixed-species groups are all around us: insights from quarantining with a puppy
Like many people around the world, I am working from home. Like many people, I have taken up new “at-home” hobbies like sourdough baking and gardening. And, like so many people, I have brought home a new pet during this uncertain time. Her name is Gouda, like the cheese, and she is an 11-week-old puppy….
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