Science

Hubbard Brook walking tour from 50th anniversary

This Youtube video was recently posted from a field tour several of us gave during the 50th anniversary of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study.  There is good background on forested watershed studies, gaging streams, hydropedology, and local historical ecology at Hubbard Brook.  Mark Green (USFS & Plymouth State), JP Gannon (Western Carolina University), Nick Grant …

Hubbard Brook walking tour from 50th anniversary Read More »

Creating a research brand – advice from my Ph.D. advisor published today in Science

Published in the working life section of Science, Jeff provides some good advice for early career academics – it’s “critical to find one’s focus and voice and have it heard—quickly.”  He discusses how early career scientists need to develop brand identity and reinforce this brand as much as possible.  Defining the optimal degree of focus and …

Creating a research brand – advice from my Ph.D. advisor published today in Science Read More »

The launch of isotope hydrology through a beer bottle

Cool blog post from Simple Climate on Willi Dansgaard, the father of isotope paleoclimatology and hydrology.  Check it out: “How a beer bottle helped reveal rapid past climate change” Ok, so the article is mostly about the impact Dansgaard has had on understanding past climate, but those of us that use stable water isotopes in hydrology also …

The launch of isotope hydrology through a beer bottle Read More »

Reblog: Science Writing – Academically & Creatively

To continue on the theme of my last post on communication, writing is also a challenge many of us face.  Here is a nice blog from Scientific American on the topic.  For me, I’ve had to stay home on Thursdays this semester to make writing progress, but I’m still behind.  Being behind is inevitable, but …

Reblog: Science Writing – Academically & Creatively Read More »

Ten guidelines for effective data visualization in scientific publications

I used to teach a class in data visualization because I was frustrated with the quality of graphics in student work and that I was seeing in papers I was reviewing for journals.  I just saw an article from my colleagues at Penn State that provides an excellent overview of effective data visualization principles.  The article …

Ten guidelines for effective data visualization in scientific publications Read More »

Preparing scientists for interdisciplinary research

A few weeks ago, there was an article in EOS, the American Geophysical Union newspaper, about a recent survey conducted of graduate students from two large interdisciplinary research projects.  The findings from the survey, I believe, are right on the money.  Scientists preparing for interdisciplinary research careers must learn many diverse skills that do not …

Preparing scientists for interdisciplinary research Read More »