Last week was OPEN ACCESS WEEK. I will spare you my own description of what open access is, since a quick Google search will give you both definitions and opinions from publishers, universities, and advocatesContinue reading
The sameness of cities
Every city has a vibe that makes it unique in the world. Vibrant New Orleans, at the mouth of the Mississippi. Hip Seattle, between the Cascades and the Pacific Ocean. Romantic Paris, straddling the SeineContinue reading
On what makes a good paper title: Signaling content and format up front
Every month, I get several “Table of Contents” emails in my inbox listing the titles of new articles in academic journals. I’d like to say I eagerly and excitedly open the emails and pour throughContinue reading
What’s that manuscript about, anyway?
I’ve written a lot about all the steps and hurdles I’ve gone through to get this paper published, but not a word about what the darn thing is actually about. It seems about time toContinue reading
Giving thanks in Durham, NC
I’m taking a departure from talking about science to post about one of my other passions: food. One of the best things about living in the South’s tastiest town is the wealth of delicious localContinue reading
The government shutdown and graduate students
You’ve probably already seen lots of sad stories about how the government shutdown is affecting people around the country. This is not a story as heart-wrenching as those of displaced weddings and turned-away children withContinue reading
How a Master’s Thesis Becomes a Peer-reviewed Article: Episode 5 – Available online!
A few weeks ago, I received the type-set proofs of my paper from the editorial staff at Ecosystems. It was great to see my writing looking like a real journal article. A slightly closer lookContinue reading
How a Master’s Thesis Becomes a Peer-reviewed Article: Episode 4 – Acceptance!
Readers, I have been negligent in my blogging this summer. The truth is that I’ve been struggling with a case of PhD angst and ennui. The long list of tasks I hoped to accomplish, papersContinue reading
Attending a workshop – learning new skills
I spent a few days last week attending a workshop in GIS for aquatic ecology and evolutionary biology at St. Louis University. It’s intense training – 8 hours a day thinking about how to import,Continue reading
Cicadas are coming!
As entomologist Craig Gibbs notes in a recent New York Times Op-Ed, the cicadas are coming. There’s been a lot of buzz (no pun intended, I swear!) about the emergence of the Brood II cicadas,Continue reading