Benthics

Friends, this week has been a high-point in my year so far. I am in Portsmouth, NH, for the annual Benthic Ecology Meeting. This is the first scientific conference I've been able to participate in for a while, and more than that, it's the first in-person conference since covid! There is so much power in speaking to another scientist in-person, and I am ecstatic to have that opportunity again. 

The Woods Hole contingent at the Benthic Ecology Meeting

The presentation I'm delivering at Benthics concerns my team's research in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. The publication of our most recent paper was actually perfectly timed, coming out earlier this week. I'm hoping my presentation generates more interest in Maritime Heritage Ecology.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about the conference is that there's a large representation from WHOI. Several graduate students, an undergraduate researcher, and three faculty all presented their work. A few researchers from the Marine Biological Laboratory, right down the street from WHOI, also delivered talks, and I connected with two incoming students who will be joining the Joint Program in the fall. 

We gathered for dinner last night at a restaurant in Portsmouth and filled a long table. It was the first time in a long time I've been able to do something so simple - share a table with a group, engage in real conversation, do the critical and essential work of community building. The evening was refreshing and enriching. It's been a great week in Portsmouth.