By Lex Berger Sometimes the backup plan ends up better than the original. Life is full of surprises and embracing the unexpected can turn out for the best. In academia, we’re held to rigid standards and methods, to plan for everything even though we really want Plan A to be executed. We have Plans B-Z in our back pocket. My LOREX experience pulled out some of the other letters

By: Shaun Eisner My life, and more specifically, my research career, have been anything but a straight path. From a job at an aquarium, to a degree in physics, to meteorology, and finally to physical oceanography; I have always favored sidestepping the prescribed path in favor of a scenic route through the other options available to me. In all, while unconventional, I think this kind of experience has served me

I jumped through a whole lot of hoops and paperwork to become an international drone pilot. Getting clearance to fly as a foreign operator in Canada meant I had to pass an in-person verbal and practical exam at the airport. I had to prove I was knowledgeable about airspace restrictions and demonstrate safe flying techniques in front of an instructor. Thankfully, I passed with flying colors and was able to

By Marina Fennell Nova Scotia is much closer to the US than I always imagined. 166.3 miles from Dalhousie University to the eastern-most edge of Maine. Visiting the US might be more difficult because the 166 miles as the crow flies take 6 hours to drive through New Brunswick and back down again. Man, the time flew by! I’ve been home a week already and still have tasks that I

Read the LOREX Blog By Jordan Snyder I’ve packed my carry-on luggage with two different drone-based imaging cameras and I feel like a spy. But the only thing I plan to spy on are some incredible flow dynamics and oceanographic phenomena in the Bedford Basin. Drone cameras are safely tucked away in my luggage and the rest of my equipment is shipped off via FedEx! Three lithium ion battery labels,

Read the LOREX Blog By Marina Fennell Hi, my name is Marina and I am a member of cohort 3 of ASLO’s LOREX program. My host institution is Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada and I will be coming from the University of California at Irvine (about an hour south of Los Angeles), where I am a fourth year Ph.D. candidate in Earth System Science. I set out on June

By Catherine Nowakowski My sophomore year of undergrad was both the first time I boarded a plane and the first time I left the country (and really just New England). My parents dropped me off a bus station and said good luck. From there it was the sheer ignorance of not knowing what I was doing that got me to and from my short 9-day study abroad program in Iceland.

By Eilea Knotts I attended the 2020 Ocean Sciences Meeting in San Diego, California this past week. This conference puts me at a year (and a little bit) with the LOREX program. Time does fly by when you are having fun. It all began in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the 2019 Aquatic Sciences Meeting. Here, I met 24 other LOREX fellows who would be embarking on their own research