Why Read When You Can Watch?

The start of what would be the winning Best Paper Award. Thanks to Don Orth (my former Master's advisor) for capturing the photo from the audience.

This past week I traveled to Lexington, Virginia to attend the annual meeting of the Virginia Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. Why would I go to a Virginia conference?  Mostly because I wanted to.  From my first conference in 2008, mentor lunches that helped guide my way, meeting my would-be Master’s advisor, and several leadership positions that led to awards and fellowships, I owe lot of my interest and success in fisheries to members of VCAFS. It had been a couple years since I was able to get back to a VCAFS meeting, but now with some data to present and a little break in field work, it was a great opportunity to return home. I received a great homecoming from many of my former professors and state biologists, and I even managed to win Best Paper for my talk on trout movement in Loyalsock Creek.
 
But, now, winter conference season is officially over. Ahhhhh…
 
Conferences are great. Lots of reunions with old friends and colleagues, handshakes with people you’ve only “met” through email and literature, and it’s also the start of many future collaborations.  But, it’s also a lot of poor eating, lots of science that melts your brain, and really long nights. It’s an exhausting type of fun, and for now I’m glad to be unpacking the suitcase for a little bit.
 
Because I’m mostly melting into the couch today, I’m taking an opportunity to share with you a video Danielle Massie made from some photos we’ve amassed during the field season last year. It’s a great tool for describing why I’m doing the research I do, and I’ll be posting it throughout the website so that visitors can quickly learn more about the work the Penn State trout team is doing (it the link below doesn't work, it can be found by clicking here)
 
Next week, it’s back to field preparations.  Can’t believe the winter has already flown by.
 
Happy watching!

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