Meyer-Kaiser lab

Norwegian landscape and sky 10) The incredible landscapes. I didn't realize until I got here just how gorgeous of a country Norway is. There are mountains everywhere, and they slide right into the sea. 9)   The Norwegian sky.  Everywhere I look in this country, there are magnificent patterns in the sky - clouds, rainbows, sunrises. I've never been in a place that has such consistently beautiful skies. I feel as if I'm bounded in - under a ceiling, if you will - and it's actually kind of neat to have such a keen awareness of the 3-D space around me. 8) Smoked salmon on bread.  The Norwegians have a tendency to pile animal products on top of bread, and smoked salmon quickly became my favorite. I had it almost every day at lunch. 7) Waffle Wednesdays.  Okay, it's not really the waffles I'll miss but rather lunchtime with my IRIS colleagues. It's so important to have one designated time in the day when everyone sits together and chats. IRIS is quite a ...

Do any of you remember the paper I was working on during the fall? I called it my "Svalbard image analysis," and I spent a solid month or two just analyzing data for it. I submitted the paper for publication just before leaving on my Christmas break. Ring any bells? Well, earlier this week, I heard from the scientific journal where I had submitted the paper. I was actually surprised to hear back so soon. (I've waited up to 5 months for reviews on a paper before, but I suppose every journal is different.) The reviewers made thorough comments on my paper but asked for some revisions before it could be published. Basically, that means the study was well-done overall, but it's just not quite there yet. I still have some work to do. In case you're interested, I'll outline the scientific publication process. It's a unique system, and it's been the same for decades. When you submit a paper for publication, three things happen: 1) The paper is assigned ...

“I think that's what our world is desperately in need of - lovers, people who are building deep, genuine relationships with fellow strugglers along the way, and who actually know the faces of the people behind the issues they are concerned about.” “Biological family is too small of a vision. Patriotism is far too myopic. A love for our own relatives and a love for the people of our own country are not bad things, but our love does not stop at the border.” - Shane Claiborne in The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical I read The Irresistible Revolution in college, and it forever changed my worldview. In fact, I spent a significant fraction of 2010 about 2 steps away from dropping everything, moving to Philadelphia, and joining the Simple Way. I became obsessed with the idea of community - how to build one, how to sustain one, and what happens to you when you're in one.  Instead of Philadelphia, I moved to Germany in 2011, and a large part of my motivatio...

"I'm running around with my hair on fire!" - Sandra Brooke I met Sandra, the source of the quote above, on a research cruise in 2013. She was one of the chief scientists on board and therefore had a lot of things to take care of. She was constantly running around from place to place, solving problems, talking to people, making plans, and trying to process specimens at the same time. I always giggled when she got to the breaking point and declared her hair to be on fire - it was quite the image. Now that I'm back in Stavanger, I've got to admit, I feel a lot like Sandra must have on that cruise. I only have a short amount of time left in Norway before I move out and embark on another adventure. (For the record, I'm still "in Norway" until April 1, but in 2 weeks, "Norway" will be a research ship in the Pacific. Andrew invited me on the cruise, so it still counts as part of my fellowship experience. More details later.) Anyway, I've...

Please find my latest musical composition, "Kongsfjorden" at this link: http://youtu.be/Tn3UngDw10I   Besides just analyzing my settlement plates, I managed to write some music this week. I find I tend to compose most when I'm in a place with my laptop where there are few other options of ways to spend my free time. I also write when I feel very strongly about something. Each of my compositions are tied to a specific place and a time where I experienced something new. As you can imagine, all of these factors mean I compose a lot in the Arctic. So far, my trips to Svalbard (four trips since 2011) have produced four movements for a violin concerto about the Arctic. The video above features the fourth movement, titled "Kongsfjorden," which I just finished. If you missed them, the previous three movements were posted on this blog in September. Find them here , here , and here . When I write music, I don't use any specific formula. I don't think about wh...

"Though the truth may vary this Ship will carry our Bodies safe to shore" - "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men Well, friends, I'm getting back on the Helmer Hanssen, and at least for me, the Marine Night campaign is over .  I'm riding the ship back to Longyearbyen, and from there I'll fly home to Stavanger. It's been an incredible experience. Even though I would have rather had my Kvadehuken samples, it was nice to have a free day yesterday. I spent time with the friends that I made on the ship and in Ny-Ålesund, and I even had a productive conversation with a scientist whose interests almost exactly match mine. I feel a collaboration coming on. Every time I leave the Arctic, I fear that I will never have the chance to return. This time, though, I know I will be back in September, so leaving is just a little bit easier. I count myself blessed to have seen this place, to have researched its mysteries, and to have become part of the Arctic ...

I checked the clock. 7:30 pm. Where are they? I thought, It's been hours! I paced along the long hallway in the lower floor of the marine lab. Peeking my head out the back door, I spotted someone with a head lamp working on the dock. Is that them? Where's the ship? Soon it was 8:00. Ok, it does not take 6 hours to drive to Kvadehuken, dive, and come back, I told myself. I had had enough. Maybe their radio broke. I marched downstairs to find someone who knew what was going on, but when I swung open the door to the dive locker, I stopped cold. Peter and Daniel were inside, wearing street clothes. "Umm..." I started. Daniel met my eyes. "We had to abort. We've been back for an hour. Didn't anyone tell you?" Well, no, they hadn't, but I guess I'd rather find out late than never. The dive to retrieve my settlement plates from Kvadehuken was aborted before my plates were retrieved. Apparently, the diving spot at Kvadehuken has been marked...