Croissant community

Some of my best days begin with a text from Caitlin. We have shared adventures at sea in coastal Oregon and the western Atlantic. We have been present for some of the major events in each others' lives. After being separated from her for over a year thanks to a global pandemic and two busy careers, I was delighted to once again start a good day with a text from my dear friend.

This time when my phone chimed, the screen displayed a request for baked goods. You see, Caitlin is currently quarantining in Woods Hole prior to a research expedition. She's stuck in a small cottage with her current labmates (new PhD students at my alma mater) and several other collaborators,  tantalizingly close but unable to reach our local French bakery. The chief scientist wanted pastries, and Caitlin passed on the request. 

Ok, let's be honest, I would have used just about any excuse to go hang out on that cottage's front lawn. 

We stayed distant - ridiculously distant - and masked, all the while fighting the urge to exchange hugs. Caitlin caught me up on events in her life, and the two new students opened up as well. We chatted about the ups and downs of grad school, goings-on at the lab in Oregon, and our common PhD advisor. We compared notes on the awkward conversations that can crop up with non-scientist friends when you talk a little too much about your research in reproductive biology. We basked in the sunshine, snacked on chocolate croissants, and laughed until our sides hurt. 

This is one of my favorite parts of scientific life: the sense of community. Science is an incredible unifying force that builds relationships across borders and bridges across oceans. It's one of the reasons why I travel - to foster that community and help it grow stronger. I find an incredible amount of fulfillment in this. 

It was so wonderful to see Caitlin again and get to know the new students, Lauren and Avery. I am one in a long, proud lineage of well-trained larval biologists from Oregon, and that, my friends, deserves a top-notch French pastry. 

Group photo, quarantine style