Leah and her dissertation met in Fall 2013. She had just ended a position with the San Onofre Generating Station Mitigation Monitoring Program in Carlsbad, CA before moving to Oregon. Leah knew that she was interested in predator-prey interactions and had experience in marine systems, but was looking for something new. She shared her ideas of ecology with friends in the Fisheries & Wildlife department and they said -
"Why don't you look at crayfish? They have a life history you might be interested in."
"Sure" she said. "But I don't know anything about working in freshwater"
So she spent summer 2014 jumping on any field crew she could find. From the Steens to the Trask, she learned how to electroshock, pit tag, gastric lavage, id aquatic bugs, make traps, characterize stream features, and got to know Oregon's landscapes a little more.
Leah spent time learning about ecological theory and found that something was missing:
"All these models assume that individuals are doing the same thing. Same feeding rate, same energetic and nutrient demands. There's no way adults and juveniles have the same ecological impact."
And that was the official start to Leah and her dissertation's relationship. Together they've explored stage-structured interactions and their consequences across levels of biological organization. They've asked questions about consumer-resource interactions, community structure, and ecosystem function and how incorporating stage structure can advance ecological theory and applied efforts.
They didn't do it alone. Mark Novak (their advisor) was and continues to be an instrumental part to their relationship and so are many others (check the "Many Thanks" tab). Leah and her dissertation are eternally grateful for all the love and support they've had along the way.
They've seen Oregon together, they've traveled abroad together, they've spent many nights looking for crayfish together, they've met many great people together. And most importantly, they've brought people to feast together. Now it's time for the next step!
Q & A
Q. What's your favorite activity together? A, Traveling, reading Harry Potter while waiting for crayfish to acclimate to a mesocosm, seeing R code work.
Q. What's the most memorable trip you've taken together? A. We spent 5 months in Sweden learning molecular techniques to characterize crayfish gut microbiota. We really enjoyed the ABBA museum, using the department sauna, fika, and learning about Swedish traditions. Q. Where are you going for your honeymoon? A. See the "Registry" tab