PhD student University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
I love to go to the field. Still, if you ask my people, they will tell you that they hate me the most when I am getting ready for the field. We even come with a term: “Pre-field season.” The pre-field season is when you must package instruments, notebooks, batteries, food, everything you can imagine. You write long lists and rewrite your lists. You package things to take them out because now your suitcase is too heavy. Your ideas flourish, your brain spins, and you are getting ready to conquer the world! It makes sense. You are going to the field to materialize all those words that look perfect on the paper. However, nothing prepares you for the field like the field. No matter how many lists and brainstorming you have done, every field campaign will be different. Each will teach you something new about you, the people you work with, and the world in which you live. You will never be prepared for the growth that comes with going to the field. Field trips are the time to be the best resourceful, creative, and inspiring scientists. Are you ready for this challenge?
