BMC Lab Adventures to Ocean City: AERS Spring 2014 Meeting

This post is going to be a bit different than some of the other posts on this blog. It's not about field work or food or getting lost in nature. It's all about research.
WELCOME TO MY FIRST RESEARCH CONFERENCE!
Can you tell I had a fabulous time and am in love with the research community?

This past weekend, the postdoc fellow in my lab at Bryn Mawr College (Josh), my undergraduate lab mate (Caitlin), and I all drove to Ocean City, Maryland to attend the Atlantic Estuarine Research Society (AERS)'s spring meeting. There was lively conversation the whole drive as we took the scenic route along the coast - although we did have some trouble finding radio stations! After 3 hours, we arrived. The conference was held in a beach front hotel/condominium. Josh took the picture to the left of Caitlin and I, just arrived and eagerly ready to enter the conference.

 The indoor decor of the hotel was carnival themed, going along with the name of the hotel being Carousel. There's the Brass Ring Bistro with a large carousel horse mural in the background! And there was an indoor ice skating rink, we could hear the children having fun on the rink while presentations occurred in the meeting room.

Before entering the first session, Caitlin and I had a bit of fun. There was a mini carousel in the atrium of the hotel, and just because we're upperclass college students doesn't mean we don't know how to have fun! It may have also have been a way to make us more relaxed and comfortable in the conference atmosphere before I gave my oral presentation. 

The session room was  packed with people. So I got a bit nervous waiting until it was time for my presentation. But once, I got up there and started talking, all the nerves just went away. In fact, I loved speaking in front of this amazing group of scientists. I gave a talk entitled "Phragmites australis functional traits and carbon fixation are affected by anthropogenic climate change" Thank you to Dave Yozzo for photographing me during my presentation. To be able to share my experience and knowledge with the scientific community on an equal platform was an honor. And I am truly thankful for this opportunity!

As a final statement, I'm going end with this post with a really cute picture of a terrapin. There were several presentations about terrapins. Whether planned or not, two (or maybe it was three, I forget exactly) sessions specifically ended with talks about these cute animals. One in particular was cuter than the others - a presentation about the "Terrapin Storm Drain Rescue Program" Look at that adorable baby terrapin rescued from a storm drain! And so I leave you with that delightful thought, until the next update.