July 28, 2006 - Interesting People at Toolik, Lots of smart people in a small place! Options

[Charla_Jordan]

July 28, 2006 Interesting People at Toolik
Temperature 65, Cloudy
Day 5 of the Pluck, Still Plucking

We are currently on our 5th day of the pluck in Lab 2. So many nice people have volunteered their time to come help us. For that, we are thankful.



Instead of showing more pictures of the pluck, I thought I would highlight some of the incredible people I have met here at Toolik. The best thing about Toolik is that everyone is involved in science—there are so many wonderful projects going on. I want my students to know that people in science are not all geniuses, just ordinary people—but with goals! So, this is my personal profile of the young scientist at Toolik!

Skylar Bayer is from Massachusetts and is presently an undergraduate student at Brown University in Rhode Island and is currently majoring in Marine Biology. She has come to Toolik as a REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates). She is assisting a PhD, but has a project of her own to complete. She is studying the nitrogen cycle in soils. This year she will stay at Toolik for 2 ½ months.


Skylar Bayer, Brown University

Jef Knight is from Royce City, Texas and is presently an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Arlington and is majoring in Biology (one more class and he is finished). Jef has come to Toolik as a research assistant with Laura Gough. When Jef graduates, he would like to work for a park service doing land management. He has been at Toolik for one month.


Jef Knight, University of Texas in Arlington

Theo Varns is from Hawaii and just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He has come to Toolik as a REU. Theo will be at Toolik for a total of three months this year. His REU project is “Vegetation will change with global warming—why shrubs do better with warming climate.” Theo is going to the Peace Corps this fall and going to Latin America. He is interested in getting a master’s degree in marine or tropical biology after the Peace Corps.


Theo Varns, Washington University, Missouri

David Johnson is from Soda Spring, Idaho and is presently working towards a PhD at University of Texas in Arlington. David has a BS and MS in Biology which he received at the Idaho State University. His PhD will be in Quantitative Biology and his current project has to do with plant and animal interactions—when one changes, how does that affect the other. This is David’s fourth year to come to Toolik and he will be here a total of one month. After David receives his PhD, he wants to teach at a university.


David Johnson, University of Texas at Arlington

Greg Selby is from Denver, Colorado and has received his bachelor’s degree in Field Biology from the University of Northern Colorado. Greg is currently the lab coordinator for the director of the National Ecology Research Lab (NERL) in Fort Collins, Colorado, at Colorado State University. He is working for and assisting at Toolik, Dr. John Moore. This is Greg second year to be at Toolik and will be here a total of two weeks.


Greg Selby, National Ecology Research Lab (NERL), Colorado

Ben Hudson is from Seattle, Washington and is attending college in Woodshole, Massachusetts where he is working towards he’s bachelor’s degree in Geology. He has an internship as an REU also. The project he is working on this summer is “How nitrogen is being transformed in tundra ecosystems.” He will be in Alaska for a total of 2 ½ months. Ben plans to work for awhile, and then pursue his master’s degree.


Ben Hudson, Marine Biological Lab, Massachusetts

Amie Treuer is from Wisconsin and is currently attending University of Texas in Arlington where she received her bachelor’s degree in Biology and is working on her master’s degree. Her master’s project is “Do evasive grasses filtrate the invasion of native woody species into remnite prairies.” She has been in Toolik for a total of two weeks


Amie Treuer, University of Texas at Arlington

Carol Moulton is from Beverly, Massachusetts. Carol earned a bachelor’s degree from Unity College, Maine and is beginning the master’s program at the University of Texas at Arlington this fall. She has been in Toolik for two weeks now.


Carol Moulton, University of Texas at Arlington

Robert Fridinger is from Klamath Falls, Oregon and is attending college in at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks where he is working towards his PhD degree in Wildlife Biology. Robert is in Toolik studying the “Active season changes in metabolism in Artic Ground Squirrels.” This is his first year at Toolik and will be here for 2 ½ months.


Robert Fridinger, University of Alaska in Fairbanks

Brian Moon is from Tampa, Florida and has recently graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. Brian is a research assistant here at Toolik and this is his second year to be here. Brian will have been at Toolik for a total of 24 days. Brian plans to attend medical school to become a doctor.


Brian Moon, University of Texas at Arlington

Those are just a few of the highly motivated young scientist here at Toolik. Ordinary people, extraordinary futures!