It's spring!

My field site is in full bloom and as such, the field work season is in full swing!

While tracking tree leaf phenology, I found some other gems in the forest:

White oak seedling leafing out. Oak seedlings are generally a rare find at my field site, so it's great to see healthy ones!

Flowers everywhere!

Violet

Found a little blue egg!

In other news - after six years, my hiking shoes are finally being retired. They served me well, but...

...It's time to replace them now that they can eat each other!

That's all for now.

Spring break perks

EMPTY PARKING LOTS = prime parking spots! :) My car is the lord of this parking lot!

Productivity!

Yesterday was quite a day.

It was my turn to give a lecture on a topic of my choice in my Advanced Soils class. I chose allelopathy: an interference mechanism used by plants to affect other plants by releasing chemicals into their surrounding environment. Or if you'd prefer: plant chemical warfare! :) It went well and tomorrow we will be discussing three case studies I chose for the class to read. All this work is helping me with my comprehensive exam, so I am really feeling great about how things are progressing.

After my class presentation, I went straight to the soil lab and continued to run my aggregate stability samples. I am testing the stability of 2mm sized soil aggregates (clumps of individual soil particles held together by organic matter and other materials).

Soil Aggregates (2mm)

By testing the stability of the aggregates we are assessing how vulnerable the soil is to water erosion. If they break apart easily then they are very vulnerable to erosion, but if they are stable then the soil is less vulnerable and has a higher quality. Anyway, I have been working my way through 40 samples of soil with the wonderful help of my lab assistant (each sample takes anywhere between 30-60 min, just for the stability test). After the initial stability test, we then have to rinse the stable aggregates into a tin that we put in the oven over night (or longer) until the sample is oven dry. After it is dry, we then weigh it. This whole process is pretty involved and has taken quite a bit of time...BUT yesterday I FINISHED IT! :) All the samples have now been tested and are drying - so they just need to be weighed. SO EXCITING.

Immediately after I finished the last aggregate stability test, I rushed off to meet a friend at the pool. We swam and talked. It was fabulous. I am loving that I have reincorporated swimming into my schedule! Plus, I get to touch base with my friend while doing it, so it makes it that much better!

After swimming, I came home with a big smile. What a day. Everything felt like it just clicked into place! I even arrived and left at the same time as the stranger I parked next to! How crazy is that. There were two open parking spots and we pulled in at the same time and then, as I was rushing to the pool, he was also walking to his car from the opposite direction...then we got in our cars and left at the same time. Can't say that happens too often...unless you're being stalked I guess...and that wouldn't be good.

Today had a hard time living up to the standards that yesterday set, but I was still fairly productive! Also, the sun came out today. It's warmth felt nice and made for a pleasant walk to and from class.

Coming out of class...

Not the best picture, but Zulauf was glowing in the sunlight. :)

Deer in the headlights!

Who knew! --> Apparently, when I'm placed in front of a video camera and lights, my brain shuts off! :)

Setting up...

Today, a NIU video crew came to the soil lab to interview me about my research experiences at NIU. I thought it would be a breeze, because I've been known to uncontrollably gush about all the valuable professional opportunities, unique research experiences, and exceptional mentoring I've received while attending NIU! What I quickly realized, however (and was trying to prepare for before going into the interview), was that they didn't want uncontrollable gushing, they wanted concise sound bites. When it came time to actually answering their questions however, I was already feeling a little intimidated by the camera and lights and as a result seemed to simply forget everything I had planned to say. I also became slightly overwhelmed by how I was going to fit EVERYTHING I wanted to say into short, stand alone sound bites. Ultimately, this led to a few flustered moments, which then lead to having to redo takes. Even though they assured me it was normal, I definitely felt bad about the retakes I needed! In the end, the video shoot was fun and the camera crew couldn't have been nicer or more patient!

Inevitably, once the interview was over, I kept thinking of all the great things I had wanted to say - go figure! Oh well, I'm sure there is SOMETHING they can use in everything I did end up saying - even if it's not exactly perfect - especially since I am only one of the people they are going to highlight in their 2 min promotional video!  I just did not expect to have such a nervous reaction! :)

Anyway, I'll be sure to share the video when it comes out. That's all for now...

Our winter wonderland...

Today we are supposed to get 2-4 inches of snow. I love when it sticks to the trees.

Winter is progressing...

Tomorrow I get interviewed for a promotional video that NIU is making! That should be fun. 

More later...

Winter Dusting

We went from rainy and 63 degree F to snow and -21 degree F windchill in a couple days! We only got dusted, but it sure is cold out there! Here are a few pictures from the office in the winter:

So serene...

Majestic.

One of my favorite things about my view is this window!

Even the gargoyles look cold.

On a different note, I came into my office the other day to find a stack of wet, unused printer paper and was very confused as to what happened until I saw the water drip. Seems there is a small leak in my ceiling, so now my plants are getting watered automatically! Unfortunately, splash erosion makes things a little messy. :)

Free drip watering system.

Splash erosion in action. Pretty intense, I know! :) Ha!

The leak should be frozen by now, hopefully, so I won't have to worry about it again...until spring, maybe.

We'll see!

Do you want the good news, or the bad?!

Good news: the DI water is back on....well, sort of.....that's where the bad news comes in!

Bad news: the DI water tanks are already empty!

The DI water faucet was accidentally left on over night and it just happened to coincide with when the work crew switched the water back on, so.......there was an accidental flooding event in the soils lab!

Lesson learned.

New Digs

The spring semester is about to begin...ONLY 5 more days!

Today, I attempted to run a few aggregate stability tests, which measure the proportion of soil aggregates that stay clumped together after being agitated in water. Ultimately the tests are used to assess how vulnerable the soil is to water erosion. In the process, I was side-tracked with other items that were on my to do list and by the time I got back around to my research, I found out the deionized water had been shut off! So, I packed everything up and will try again tomorrow. At least I got a few other things done and everything is set up to jump right in once the water is turned back on!

While running around, I took a few shots of my new office to share. It's way up on the 6th floor, so we have a pretty decent view - which is great! I have windows now, so I made sure to bring in some plants! As you can see, it filled up fast with everything I've accumulated throughout my 6 years of graduate school. The neat part is that my previous office mate was also move into this office - so no worries about not getting along!

I even have a little ginko seedling! It is pretty cold in my office right now, so I am hoping it will trigger it to senesce (drop its leaves) and stimulate new growth! Either way, it sure does have a great view of the castle!

There is a small foyer outside of the cluster of offices up there that used to be full of old papers and cabinets. We've since cleaned it out and turned it into a cozy waiting room for students who venture up to our office hours (although no students will be coming to see me for office hours this semester!). We've also made it homey by adding a few plants, so now the view is extra pleasant to sit and chat. It is our escape from stress! :)

Anyway, hopefully the DI water is back on tomorrow!