Team Porites

I love the ways that science connects people. It breaks down walls and builds bridges across oceans. Being part of this community is the most marvelous feeling. 

Team Porites is in my mind the epitome of scientific community. I've bragged about my team before - we're diverse and collaborative and absolutely obsessed with corals. Of all the things we've accomplished during our field trips to Palau, endless lab work, sequencing, and data analysis, the thing I am most proud of is our team dynamic. Individuality is respected. Opinions are valued. Conflicts are resolved. Personalities can thrive. 

I got to bask in the scientific community of my team this week when Sarah and Cas came to visit Woods Hole. Sarah was the first speaker for an immersive course on coral reef sensing and solutions at WHOI, and Cas traveled with her. It was so good to see them. It was especially exciting because Maikani is in my lab right now, so our science team was only missing Matthew-James. 

Team Porites (minus Matthew) in Woods Hole. Sadly, I could 
not get Kraken to look at the camera.

Some of you might know that my husband, Carl, is an incredible chef. On Thursday, I talked him into making dinner for Team Porites plus some students from the coral reef class. He blew us away with a purely homemade, from-scratch southwestern meal with frybread, mango-habanero salsa, honey-coated brussel sprouts - honestly, it was fantastic, but what I enjoyed the most was the conversation. It rambled on until 10:30 pm without me even noticing the time. 

The next day, Team Porites gathered in my lab for a scientific jam session. We even pulled out the ginormous monitor in my office so we could all share laptop screens and review the data to be included in Cas's upcoming manuscript. Then we transitioned to the white board in the lab and reviewed the plan for our next field trip. It was a productive and heart-warming morning. 

I'm so glad we got Team Porites together! We'll be together in Palau again soon!