Recognitions

Friends, one of the most gratifying parts of my job is cheering on my colleagues as they accomplish great things. Over the past few weeks, I have had two opportunities to do that. 

The archaeologist on my team, Calvin Mires, was selected as the National Lecturer for 2026 by the Archaeological Institute of America. It's a huge honor. Only one individual is selected each year, and that person is invited to deliver seminars at AIA chapters across the country. Calvin traveled to the College of William and Mary for his first address, which took place just two weeks ago. It was a resounding success. Calvin reported that the lecture hall was so fall, late arrivals were left to stand in the aisles. A grateful audience member even gifted Calvin a few books. 

I am excited for Calvin, not just for the honor he clearly deserves, but for the opportunity that his speaking tour represents. He is developing a reputation for excellence in the archaeological community. Every time he shares his work publicly, it serves as an advertisement for the interdisciplinary work that he and I have been co-developing for years. It further establishes WHOI as the global hub of interdisciplinary shipwreck research. 

With Kate at her defense. 

The other colleague I have been able to cheer on is Kate Lane, a PhD student in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program. Recently, Kate defended her PhD and graduated - she is now Dr. Lane. I am very proud of her! When I first joined Kate's advising committee, it wasn't entirely clear what her thesis would look like. She had some vague ideas, so most of my role as a mentor to Kate was to help her shape the story of her work. We spent hours on the couch in my office, digging through her results, talking about the interesting patterns, and pulling those threads into a coherent narrative. Kate's thesis ultimately told a grand story: microbes in the ocean encode novel biosynthetic molecules, and their metabolic activities are ultimately shaped by the environmental conditions they are exposed to. 

It was a pleasure watching Kate develop into a well-rounded scientist with original thoughts, well-informed opinions, and critical-thinking skills. She's moving onto a postdoctoral position at the Smithsonian, and I'm sure she will continue to develop over the next several years. 

Congratulations, Kate and Calvin!