What a busy summer!

For the last month, I have split time between Harvard Forest, where I've taken measurements and samples for two different projects, Woods Hole, where I work and mentor an undergraduate student visiting from University of Chicago, and Providence, RI, where I live when I'm not at Woods Hole or Harvard Forest. Field work at Harvard Forest has gone very well this summer. It is a great field site with so many different projects happening, a vibrant and rigorous REU program during the summer, and comfortable lab and living space. I went up in late May/early June for two weeks, and returned in July after getting married for a couple of weeks straight, and then a couple days a week after that. Next week I'll be at ESA in Baltimore, presenting work from my research with Peter Reich and Owen Atkin at the B4WARMED experiment in Cloquet, MN. I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends from previous field sites and graduate school . 


One of the high-light/low-lights of the summer was using "Bucky" the canopy lift that is available to researchers at Harvard Forest. Bucky is a little unwieldy to drive (I'm getting better though!), but allows great access to top canopy leaves in the forest. After the scaling the walk-up tower at the Prospect Hill site dozens of times, and spending hours at a time at the top of the canopy in Bucky, I think my fear of heights is disappating. This past week, Jonathan Michelsen, a Metcalfe Fellow from University of Chicago, helped measure fluorescence in canopy leaves of different species. We'll use this data to scale photosynthetic efficiency and rates to canopy-scale measures of fluorescence. 

Driving Bucky - a skill in progress.

Jonathan on his umpteenth measurement of light-adapted fluorescence.

Earlier in the season, up in Bucky with Hualei Yang.