By Hannah Beck My first international collaboration has been an educational experience indeed! Here’s a list of some of the lessons I’d like to share with future LOREX students, other pre-career scientists, and anyone looking to travel to Sweden. Never be shy of asking for help! The worst they can say is “I’m busy”, and they just might say, “I have exactly what you need!” Spend as much time outside …
By Stephanie Owens The last two weeks in Abisko, Sweden have most notably included a helicopter ride (what better way to see the landscape than from the air?), celebrating midsummer (strawberry cake, dancing around a maypole, and a whole lot of daylight!), and scoping out field sites in Stordalen Mire. And of course adjusting to living in a new country. View from the helicopter Departing the helicopter As I adjust …
By Carly Olson As I board the aircraft that will complete the first leg of my slightly romanticized journey to Sweden, my mind is focused on how great the seat was that I had just been assigned. It was in the exit row which equates to easy access to the bathroom and infinite leg room. There was a catch: obligatory assistance in the case of an emergency. ‘I think I …
By Marina Lauck The first week in Abisko has been full of adventure. After some miscommunication about site accessibility and car availability, anxious to at least visit our prospective field sites in Stordalen Mire, we (Steph and Marina) managed to hitch a ride with a couple of lovely researchers from the UK who overheard our struggles to procure a vehicle for the afternoon (Drs Holly Croft and Gavin Thomas, we …
By Chelsea Hintz I arrived in Abisko one week ago and since then our group has been given the opportunity to explore our study systems from above by helicopter and from on the ground with an incredible hike. I’ve continued to nail down the final details of my individual research project and will hopefully be starting soon! At my home institution the focus of my dissertation is urban stream ecology …
By Hannah Beck The weeks leading up to my departure were jam-packed with finishing details and preparations. Cleaning, drying, and counting filled my hours in the lab. I juggled last-minute equipment changes while arranging pumps, tubing, and connectors. I swam around in a pool of emails, printing, and label-making. I tried not to imagine how hard it would be to say goodbye to my husband at the airport. After everything …
By Allison Herreid After arriving in Abisko, we had the opportunity to explore the new landscape we’ll be studying first from the air and then on foot. The plan for the day was to take a short helicopter tour above Abisko to view the arctic landscapes from above, and be dropped off at Lapporten, an iconic U-shaped valley just outside of the national park. I’d never been in a helicopter …
By Breena S Riley Me: “I work with diatoms.” Other person: “What are diatoms?” I get a lot of confused looks when I tell most people about what I work with. In short, diatoms are a type of golden-brown algae with an outer layer made of organic silicon. The outer layer is a called a “frustule,” and the frustule is made of two valves. They stack neatly into each other …
Diatoms in Northern Sweden: an incomplete picture Read More »
By Sarah Burnet In preparation for my trip to Sweden as part of the LOREX program, I researched not only aquatic systems that were very different from my study system in the US, but also my family heritage. For my LOREX proposal, I read about arctic oligotrophic lakes, iced-over for long portions of the year that experience no algae blooms. This varies from US research site, Willow Creek Reservoir (WCR), …
