Farewell, 2020

Our classic interdisciplinary course Ecology Through the Writers Lens ran under a different format this year, with local day trips instead of week-long overnight visit to the Flint Hills. Of course, everyone masked up. Photo by Amy Milakovic. As this extraordinary year winds down, I find myself reflecting not so much on what 2020 took … Continue reading Farewell, 2020 →

(Re)Connecting Wild

The woodland sunflower in full bloom. Look closely and you'll see a native bee (family Halictidae). I promised I'd share some inspiring stories from NACCB2020, so this week I'm embedding the short film (Re)Connecting Wild from NineCaribou Productions. (Re)Connecting Wild documents the efforts of the Nevada Department of Transportation and partners to re-connect an historic … Continue reading (Re)Connecting Wild →

When History Repeats

Unknown author - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=774892 A year and a half ago, when travel was still a thing, I had the opportunity to visit the great city of Berlin. While there, I spent an afternoon at the Topography of Terrors Museum. Built on the rubble of the former headquarters of the … Continue reading When History Repeats →

Black Lives Matter

I've been contemplating what to say here about the national and global outrage expressed in response to police violence against people of color. This is not a new problem for our nation; though like many others, I hope we are at last reaching a new horizon. Rather than indulge in my own take, I prefer … Continue reading Black Lives Matter →

On Confronting Our Mistakes

Last fall, I wrote in a bee update that about 40% of our 2018 summer bee collection belonged to one species of small, metallic green bee: Augochlora pura. Turns out I was wrong. With a little more experience and a fresh look at our collection, I've been able to determine that of the 70-some-odd bees I … Continue reading On Confronting Our Mistakes →

City of Reconciliation

My Winter Solstice Reflection: On weaving together a world that's been torn asunder.

A place where race doesn’t matter

In the summer of 2014, I co-coordinated the Native American and Pacific Islander Research Experience (NAPIRE) Program. Funded by NSF and the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, NAPIRE was designed to encouraging undergraduate Native American and Pacific Islander students to pursue careers in science. The program brought together undergraduate students from Tribal Nations and … Continue reading A place where race doesn’t matter →

Radio Silence

I've been away from my blog and most things internet during July, enjoying a family vacation in Germany. By 'family,' I mean family in the broadest sense of the word. This was a very special trip, celebrating the 80th birthday of my father. We were able to bring together so many people over our three-week … Continue reading Radio Silence →