Two southern scientistas will be bringing you all that is awesome in STEM as we complete our PhDs. Ecology, statistics, sass.
Buckle up for some #wholesomeAF content. I’m so excited to share the first installment of our series on how dogs can enrich one’s experience in graduate school. Really, none of us deserve how good dogs are, but we try to be worthy of their affection. Read on for three stories of doggos who deserve honorary degrees.
Staying motivated in the unstructured work environment of academia can be difficult. For me, it has always been easy to stay on task during the field season because the summer ticks away regardless of how much I get done. I have to be organized and get in while the plants are growing and the tides are favorable. As summer gives way to fall, I have often gone through productivity slumps. This was especially true after I was done with my coursework and, more recently, when I was struggling with some mental health issues. In spite of these challenges, I have been at this graduate school game for (*gulp*) nine years now, and I’ve learned a thing or two about how to bring structure to my days and set myself up for maximum productivity. In other lucky news, I have tons of smart friends who kindly offered up some of their best advice on a Facebook thread I started. Thanks Tanya, Jeff, Christy, Brendan C, Danielle, Haley, Kevin, Sarah, Brendan H, Anne, Vadim, Ashley, Chhaya, Jamie, Lyndsey, Eddie, Jessica, Caroline, Sacha, Becky, Bjorn, Carlos, Aviva, and Colin!
Here are my top tips for staying focused and productive!
I have been really busy the last several weeks working on writing my dissertation and preparing to teach an Introduction to Ecology course. All the time spent staring at my computer has me daydreaming about all the hours I have spent doing field work over the course of my PhD. I flipped through some half finished blog posts and journal entries form that period, and found the start of the story I’m about to tell you. I was instantly transported back to that day, which was memorable but also pretty representative of how most of my field days went. Some of this is certainly Type II Fun.
Sometime in August of 2016…
I wake up before the sun has inched its way above the horizon, and fumble to turn off my alarm as quickly as possible. At the foot of the bed, my dog whines softly. My husband, Daniel, turns over and away from me in his sleep. In my non-field season life, I often hit the snooze button. I know it’s not good for my brain, or whatever, but I don’t care. I love it. During the field season, my alarm is set so uncomfortably early most days, 4:00 am or maybe 4:30, that snoozing seems masochistic. Also, it’s a little rude to the sleeping partner and pup. Besides, when you’re racing the tides, time is always of the essence. So, instead of rolling over for five more minutes of sleep, I roll out of bed and try to land on my feet. The cat judges me from Daniel’s pillow.
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology for Beginners
On a mission to captivate the world with physics, one particle at a time.
science writer | aspiring polymath | geeky nerd
Dismantle by Building Differently
Botanist and Lichenologist
[Beauty] [Fashion] [Lifestyle]
Exploring the ecological roles of various animals in our world
|| Bringing science stories to life ||
The study of life you say?
A Field Guide to Living in the Field
Clear-headed science
Converting School Psychology Research to Interventions
Mow Less, Enjoy More
Statistical esoterica
Sweet Tea, Science 