ASM or Bust

Last week I wrote about a list of things my undergraduate adviser, Alan, suggested I do to improve my credentials as a graduate school applicant. One of the first things he mentioned was attending (and presenting at) a national conference. I agreed with this immediately. Although I've discussed my research at small, undergraduate conferences and meetings before, I knew a presentation at one of the big organizations' national meetings would give the line on my CV a bit more clout.

That, of course, and the fact that conferences are good places to meet people, network, and share ideas. There's no telling who I might meet at a conference-- potential graduate advisers, research contacts, scientists or representatives of organizations looking to hire? That'd be great.

One of the first things I did when I got back from my meeting with Alan was start hashing out plans to attend a conference. But I ran up against a problem immediately. There are really only three, reputable annual meetings I could attend. In other words, there are three organizations that hold annual conferences at which a presentation about my undergraduate research would be relevant. These organizations are the Ecological Society of America (the ESA, not to be confused with the Endangered Species Act), the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) and the Society for Conservation Biology (the SCB). The problem? Each of these organizations have deadlines by which abstracts for presentations must be submitted. I've missed them all.

ESA, a national organization, is holding their annual meeting this year in August in Pittsburgh, PA, and their abstract submission deadline was in February. SCB, an international organization, is holding their annual meeting this year in July in Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and their abstract submission deadline was in February, too. ASM, a national organization, is holding their annual meeting this year in June in Laramie, WY, and their abstract submission deadline was May 3rd.

Er.... whoops. Shame I didn't think about all of this sooner, so that I could have reserved a slot to present somewhere. Hm...

I asked Alan about this and his advice was to email each organization and ask if they'd accept a late abstract (not latebreaking mind you, just late). I did so and heard back from ASM-- they'd recently had a presenter cancel and had a slot available, and if I submitted my abstract and registered within 24 hours, they'd fit me in. Thanks, ASM. Will do.

So I'll be presenting the results of my undergraduate thesis research and hanging out at the ASM's annual meeting in Laramie, June 11th - 15th.

I'm a little ambivalent about the whole thing, however. On the one hand, it will be terrific experience, and I'll likely get to meet and talk to a lot of really neat people doing really cool research. I'll beef up my CV a little, and if I'm really lucky do a bit of networking that may serve me well in the future. I'll get to strut my stuff, so to speak, and inform some people about a subject in which I invested a great deal for a decent stretch of time.

On the other hand, since I'm not associated with an organization or school, I'll have to pay for the conference (registration fees, travel expenses, lodging, food, etc.) out of pocket, and it won't be cheap. Granted, a plane ticket from here to Laramie is cheaper than one from here to Pittsburgh, and a lot cheaper than from here to Alberta, but still... in some ways it's money I'd rather be saving.

Also, I don't view Laramie as being an outstanding city in which to hold a conference. If they were going to be in Wyoming, why not Jackson City? Another factor lies in the fact that I haven't presented my thesis research (or really done a whole lot of thinking about my thesis research) for more than a year. It shouldn't take long to fall back into the groove and recall all of the bits and pieces and from my former presentations, but it certainly won't be as easy and fluid as it would be had I done this months ago.

Last, but certainly not least, all the cool kids go to ESA. In the realm of ecological research, the Ecological Society of America reigns supreme.

My research is more relevant to ecology than to mammalogy. Additionally, my future research goals are tied strongly to ecology and questions based on ecological principles and theory. I feel like many of the professors/potential advisers with which I have an interest in working will be attending ESA, and those that won't be attending any conferences this summer, if asked, would likely express a preference for ESA over ASM.

Really, I'd LOVE to go to ESA. But the reality is that I can't justify spending money to attend a conference right now unless I'm presenting, and the only place that had a slot available for me to present is ASM. So to ASM I'll go, and I'll just have to hope that I'll end up at ESA next year or the year after.

Hey-- anyone else out there going to ASM?

Whoa, ponies!

This evening at work while I was helping feed the horses on the ranch, I started thinking about how ridiculous the size of their herd is relative to the amount of time Trina spends with them. In the past seven days, Trina has made excuses on five of them about why she can't or won't ride. These excuses are pathetic, and Marlene and I have been discussing how long it will be before Trina stops riding altogether. If that really does happen, what are they going to do with all these horses?

Just to give you an idea of the sheer number of horses on the ranch, I thought I'd list them all here. Keep in mind that, save for two horses owned by Marlene and two boarded by one of Trina's friends, every single one of these horses is Trina's. That's right-- every single horse technically "belongs" to her.

Turbo- Trina's favorite. If she rides just one horse, it'll be him. She uses him for the obstacle course, and sometimes in poles.
Louis- A gelding purchased late this winter to be used in poles. This has become Trina's second-favorite horse.
Jet- An aging barrel horse. One of Trina's favorites, but she doesn't ride him much since they got Louis and Morgan.
Morgan- A barrel horse. Very fast, and a little unpredictable. Trina never rides her unless she's competing.
Gage- A roping horse. Trina doesn't rope very often. She'll go through phases. She didn't ride him at all for five months over the winter, but has been riding him once a week or so lately.
Belle- Belle used to be Trina's pole horse, but they decided they didn't like her when Trina kept knocking poles over, and ended up with Louis. Guess what? She still knocks over poles. Belle is my personal favorite, and for all intents and purposes is "my" horse. I'm the only one that rides her now, and everyone on the ranch refers to her as mine. If I had the money to keep a horse, I'd buy her off of them in an instant.
Beauty- They bought Beauty for Trina to "train." Er... Yeah. Right. Marlene trained her. Trina has ridden her, to my knowledge, one time in the last eight months.
Moxy- They bought Moxy for Trina to "train," too. Same story as above. Marlene trained her to run the obstacle course, and now they're doing a partial lease to another girl who is using her in rodeos.
Cash- They bought Cash to be Trina's barrel horse. I have no idea how long she actually used him before they got a different horse for her. Cash has a good personality, though, so they've kept him around.
Starsky- A retired horse that used to do the obstacle course and flags. Not sure why they bought him. I think Trina has ridden him twice since I've worked on the ranch, for about fifteen minutes each time.
King- They bought King for Trina to show. I don't think she's shown a horse in years.
Queen- They bought Queen so King wouldn't be lonely, and so Trina would have another show horse. I can't remember the last time she even brushed either one.
Prince and Princess- Two horses that belong to one of Trina's friends.
Texas- Tex was supposed to be Trina's pole horse. She didn't like him. They sold him to Marlene, and he still lives on the ranch.
Puma- The other horse that lives on the ranch that belongs to Marlene.

This list doesn't include the horses they've sold or bought and sold in the past seven months-- Halle, Greco, Disco, and Fox, or the two horses they own that don't live on their property-- Jeeves and Sully.

Don't get me wrong- I understand completely why Trina doesn't ride every horse she owns. It would be completely overwhelming. And the fact that she rides only one or two of them regularly means I have a job, which, although not ideal, is better than a lot of people have right now. But honestly, what's the point in having them if she's not going to use them? That's anywhere from twelve to sixteen horses that need to be groomed and ridden on a regular basis, and fed daily. It's a huge responsibility, and one that requires two to four full-time employees working every day of the week. All for a single, seventeen year-old girl.

The Last Letter

Late at the end of last week, I received in the mail a thin business envelope sent from University of New England Place. Its contents were of no surprise to me. I was sent informal notification from the graduate admissions coordinator several days before. The letter was formal, polite, and almost consoling. Of the seven letters, in total, that I received, it was one of the nicest. And even though it began with the dreaded "We regret to inform you..." it didn't sting quite as much as the others. Even though the chance existed that I might squirm my way in somewhere, deep down, I've known now for a while that graduate school just isn't in my cards this year.

So... about those alternative plans.

You made alternative plans, didn't you? You didn't? Really? You don't have some sweet field job lined up somewhere? No research technician position in someone's lab? No paid, nine-month internship with a not-for-profit conservation organization? Really?

Hmm...

Well... what are you going to do now?

Exactly.

A few weeks ago I began toying with the idea of contacting every potential graduate adviser with whom I applied to work to inquire about my qualifications as a student and what I might be able to do to improve my application and/or credentials for next year. Although I applied to seven schools, I'd end up writing fifteen or so emails, as several of the departments had two or three professors with which I was interested in working. But I wasn't sure about this particular tactic. I plan on reapplying to many of the same labs next year. If my phrasing was just a little off, I could end up ruining my chances at admission next time round.

I ended up emailing one of my undergraduate advisers, Alan, at College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (hereafter referred to as CLAS) to ask his opinion. His response agreed with my initial reluctance-- don't email them. Many of them wouldn't mind, he said, but you don't want to annoy them or piss them off, especially if you're planning on applying to their labs again this fall. In exchange, however, Alan offered to meet with me and look over my personal statement, CV, transcripts, test scores, and other essays to see where I might have room for improvement.

I made my way to his office last week before I went to work, and we talked for about an hour and a half. He gave me some good advice for a list of things I could try to put myself just that little bit ahead of the pack for next year. So, since I won't be going to grad school this year, I've reformed my list of goals for the remainder of 2010:

• Reapply for the NSF GRFP in the fall. I already planned on doing this. 
• Spend another season in the field. This is very important, and something I've obviously been trying to set up for myself. It seems the job market has steadily become worse since I graduated last year. I try to apply for at least one job every day, but this can be tough. I can't apply for just any field job... my qualifications and research interests have to match the position. And if the job doesn't involved intense fieldwork, data collection and analysis, and at least a technique or two to which I haven't yet been exposed, it's probably not going to get me any closer to a spot at a competitive school. These difficulties are compounded by the fact that I need something longer-term, and something that's paid. Six months, at the very least, and preferably twelve.
• Reorganize my personal statement to emphasize my thesis research upfront. In other words, abandon chronology in my personal statement, to highlight my experience with and commitment to a long-term research project of my own design, executed to completion. If a graduate school is going to be investing tens of thousands of dollars in my education over a period of five to seven years, they want to know that I'm going to be able to stick with a research project. If I decide, one or two years in, that I don't like fieldwork or the tedium of collecting/analyzing/reporting data and quit school, they'll have lost a sizable investment.
• Present the findings of my thesis research at a national conference or meeting. I have presented my research before. Both were oral presentations, one given at CLAS and the other at an undergraduate research conference held in California last year. Neither of these, however, compares to a presentation at a national conference, with a mix of hundreds of students, working professionals, and professors all in one place... potential graduate advisers included. If I want to get myself noticed by someone, either on paper or in person, this is a good place to start. I am currently working on making this happen (more to follow in a later post).
• Publish the results of my senior thesis. This is arguably the most important thing I'll do this year to try and help myself stand out from other applicants. Publications are valuable currency in the academic world. Applying to school with a proven publication record, especially as the primary author in a reputable journal, shows potential advisers that, not only can I do field research, I can analyze and compile data, write it up in a precise format, and have my research reviewed and accepted by working scientists. If I've done it before, what's going to stop me from doing it again... and again, and again and again... in grad school? This is something I've been working towards since my thesis research began. I wrote my senior thesis in a format that would lend itself to reorganization for submission as a paper to a scholarly journal. I made my initial revisions last year before graduation, and my secondary revisions this past November. I've been waiting on the co-author of the paper (my thesis adviser, Walt) to make his own revisions so we can get the damn thing submitted... finally. I've been waiting for months. Come on, Walt! Let's get going! If we're held up by the review process, there's no chance of something being in press by the time the next application season rolls around.

So there you have it. Doesn't sound too complicated, right? Just do a bit of reorganization, find a good, long-term, paying field job, present at a national conference, and get a publication. Piece of cake, right?

If only it were that easy... At least I have something to work toward now, though.

It was admittedly a little strange (not to mention disheartening) this week to think that I graduated a year ago and, apart from a little additional field experience, haven't really gained anything since then. I'm no farther along now than I was last year at this time. In fact, last year I was even doing a little better than I am now... I had some money from graduation socked away to help cover application fees, and I had my stint with the BLM lined up. Right now, I have no foreseeable fieldwork for the summer. Hopefully that will change... soon.

A Little Visitor

Two weeks ago Marlene, the horse trainer on the ranch, got a call from a friend with a problem. One of his sows had given birth to a litter, and had, just two days later, stepped on one of the piglets, tearing a two-inch deep gash in its shoulder and ripping some of the skin from his leg. Her friend had stapled the skin back on the leg, but the two day-old piglet could no longer stay with its mom, and without someone to care for it, would die.

Marlene has a soft spot for pigs, and she took one look at the little guy and couldn't refuse. So we obtained a little, injured pig and all began taking turns checking in on him and bottle feeding him during the day. The first two days were rough. We weren't sure if he'd survive, but after working him into a consistent feeding schedule (once every hour to half-hour) and getting him some good antibiotics, he started to come round.

At first, Marlene was reluctant to get attached. She already keeps one six-hundred pound pig as a pet, and wasn't sure she could handle another. But just a few days with the little fellow's complete dependency, and she and her boyfriend were hooked. The piglet got a name, and a permanent home.

When Marlene agreed to raise the pig, however, she neglected to think of her upcoming vacation, a four day getaway to her close friends' wedding vow renewal. With the piglet needing almost constant attention, she needed someone to look after him while she was gone. And I just happen to be a sucker for those kinds of things.

Monday morning at work, I was officially put in charge of raising a baby pig. He stayed with me at work, then came home with me in the evenings, occasionally taking a trip to the back yard, but otherwise spending his time in my basement. Monday night I got up several times to feed him, 2:45 and 5:00 AM included.

But something strange happened on Tuesday afternoon. When I brought him to work and unloaded him into the office at the barn, some switch somewhere inside him flipped, and the previously languid pig became a little tornado of curiosity and energy. At just 13 days old he'd turned a corner, from infancy to adolescence. Evidently, pigs grow up fast.

Although I managed to rig up a system for him to feed himself at night, to prevent waking up every few hours and trekking downstairs to heed his grunts and squeals, nothing would prevent the little bugger from going wild during the day-- especially between noon and 7:00 PM, when I'm typically at work.

The pig continued to improve over the four days I watched him. His wounds filled in and began to scab over, his energy level surged, he became more mobile and more adventuresome, started exploring things with his mouth, and must have grown at least an inch. When I started watching him on Monday morning, he slept and ate, slept and ate. This afternoon, when I returned him to Marlene, he hadn't slept at all in four hours, and instead had been following me around the barn all afternoon while I prepared the grain rations and sweet feed for the horses, cleaned out the office, washed the rugs, and organized the tack room.

Marlene was shocked at how much he'd changed in the four short days she'd been gone, and more than a little jealous when he came running for me instead of her when she called.

I enjoyed watching him learn and investigate new things. It was fun to walk out of his sight line and then snort at him, to hear him grunt wildly in return. And he's absolutely adorable when he twists and jumps and roots and plays. But  I was ready to return him to Marlene.

I'm not (and may never be) ready for kids. Instead, I get the benefit of being the little guy's "cool aunt." I get to tussle with him and watch him play while I'm at work, then leave him to Marlene for the rest-- feeding, training, and messes included.

Spring Cleaning

With the weather marginally improving over the last few weeks (I say marginally because the wind has been ridiculous, and its supposed to snow later on this week) we've been taking advantage of the warm afternoon sun to do a little horse-washing at the ranch. After an entire winter spent rolling around in the dirt, mud, and snow, crushing debris into their long coats, they've all finally started to shed out... and they're filthy underneath all that hair.

Take one horse, add warm water and shampoo, soak, lather, rinse. Repeat. Sixteen times. Yes, each one of the sixteen horses and ponies on the ranch needs a bath, so we've been steadily working our way through the lot of them, dirtiest to least dirty, performance horses to ponies.

The shampoo we have reads, "For use on carpets, upholstery, industrial fabrics, and livestock."

Yeah. I thought it was a little weird, too.

Things haven't improved a great deal with the tutoring/barn work balance, but I have been able to ride almost every day, which has been good. Trina has her finals at the end of next week, which means the next two weeks will be tutoring-heavy for me, but afterward I should be spending the majority of my time with the horses.

As for finding a field job for the summer, things aren't looking great. I've received quite a few "We regret" style emails, including one today for a really neat job for which I was well-qualified and thought I had a really good shot at.

And today I received official notification from U of Northern State that I was not selected as a candidate for admission. :( That leaves one school... U of New England Place, which I emailed again this afternoon to see if I can get a straight(er) answer than, "We'll look into and get back to you" (i.e. "We'll delete your email and never respond to your inquiry.")

Hey, good things! Over here! Please feel free to start happening at any time. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.