That Georgia Biologist

I'm thrilled to announce that two days ago I defended my master's thesis, and it went as smooth as a dream! I really appreciated how many friends, professors, and grad student colleagues were able to come. It was very enjoyable to finally share in a public setting what I have been working on the last year and a half. To tell the truth I was more nervous for the questioning-by-my-committee time after the presentation, rather than the presentation itself (anyone who knows me in real life knows that I love to talk, and my thesis is one of my favorite subjects, so... :D). However, my time with the committee went super smooth too. We had an intelligent and academic but still overall chill and fun conversation regarding the more detailed aspects of my project. I was able to capably answer most all of the questions...and they decided to pass me, so I guess that's a good sign... ;) Haha. I really enjoyed going out to eat with my major professor and grad program coordinator a...

After the last several weeks of hard cranking on my thesis, and five more to go, I decided today that I needed a much-deserved 'mental health break' - i.e., take a walk out in nature! It was a beautiful day, I grabbed one of my friends from church, and we headed on out to Galien River County Park. I had never been before; but had heard good things. The place certainly did not disappoint!! Free admission (always nice) - really new and nicely kept up. Great trails in the woods, and boardwalks that went onto the river. One went down at river, and the other rose to the canopy as to provide a bird's-eye-view. Even in the middle of the afternoon, the birdlife was quite present, and I can only imagine what it must be like in early morning! I saw several Canada geese, red-winged blackbirds, and even a couple barn swallows. I also found several nice wildflowers! All in all, a really, really nice little park that would be well worth a repeat visit. I'm really happy I came,...

Well hey there, everyone! It's been a while... Since my last post, I've learned tons about statistical tests, finished teaching my last semester of Anatomy & Physiology Lab (tears! - but excited for the journey ahead), and cranked on writing my thesis. Right now I've got the methods and results pretty much down, and next up are the introduction and discussion. About another six weeks to go until the deadline, and around nine until my defense! All which to say that while it's a good life, it's definitely a busy life for me right now. So yesterday, when the sun shone and the birds danced (well, maybe not that last one ;) ), I decided to take a few hours off my academic pursuits to go enjoy nature first hand. There is a wonderful nature sanctuary not too far away from campus (Dowagiac Woods), and I figured it would be exploding with wildflowers by now! Sure enough...it was. More epic then in my wildest dreams. I must have seen at least ten different species o...