Be Prepared!

This week I have focused my efforts on preparing for the next stages of my career, and I'll talk about those items for this week's blog. Since I've had the time this week while my collaborators are reading and editing our newest manuscript draft, I've given attention to two major items that I will need at various points of my career. The first is a research presentation and the second is a microplastics research catalogue and guide. 

When job applicants are invited for in-person interviews for faculty positions (and sometimes postdoctoral positions), they are asked to give a research talk. Candidates spend usually 45 minutes talking through their research, their research process, the questions that interest them, and what they've learned about the system they studied. In my experience as an FSU graduate student, these talks are attended by faculty and students, so it is best if the candidate provides sufficient background to capture everyone's attention. Since my work spans two fields that audiences are likely not experts in (meiofauna and microplastics), my goal with this presentation is to provide a brief 'why you should care' statement about both areas, and draw comparisons to more well known systems. For example, I have a section in my presentation where I will talk about predator-prey dynamics and nematode predator dynamics are difficult to show in a meaningful way. Therefore, I have a comparison to a forest ecosystem with rabbits, a fox, and trees to show some of the differences between nematode-sediment systems and more well known ecological systems. My presentation is a work in progress at this point, but I'm thinking ahead since I don't want to get a call or email that I have an in-person interview for which I'm not prepared.

The other item I have been working on is my microplastics research catalogue and guide. This 'book' is inspired by a NOAA technical memorandum on the laboratory methods for the analysis of microplastics, which provides a comprehensive step-by-step procedure for microplastic extractions from seawater and sediment. The memorandum, however, doesn't provide details on extracting microplastics from fauna tissues, on polymer analysis and counting, or on some important and useful intermediary steps in microplastic processing. Therefore, I am working on a guidebook for my future laboratory that I can use to help myself and my students through all the steps and procedures. I have sections for making the chemical solutions referenced in the guide book, sections for each step with clear labels, and so much more. It is what I think my parents, friends, and definitely Dr. Ingels expects that I would create with free time. Since I thought about creating this book too late, I do not currently have pictures for the different sections, and I will likely need to add more information as standards and methods get updated, so I will be creating new versions of this book throughout the years.

I don't have any research/job updates to provide, but as soon as I hear something, I will let you all know. Especially if the update changes how I will be writing the upcoming blogs. Stay tuned.