What was your inspiration for being a scientist?
I always asked why and loved watching nature. As a kid I had lots of pets and enjoyed learning about them. When I got to college I realized that I could make a career out of studying nature.
What is the best part about being a scientist?
Working with students and helping them make interesting discoveries. The ability to travel and collaborate with researchers from other countries is really cool too.
As a child did you want to be in another line of work?
I did not realize that I could teach ecology. I always thought science was done in a lab. So as a kid I wanted to do lab research. But I pretty much always wanted to teach and do research.
How has your research made an impact in the arctic tundra area?
I have shown clearly that the response of tundra vegetation to warming varies greatly across plant species, that the response of a plant species can vary at different sites, and that the response of a plant species can vary over time.
Why did you chose the artic tundra compared to other ecosystems for your studies?
Mostly out of chance. I was given the opportunity to do research in the Arctic while working on my Masters Degree and I took it. Ever since then I have really enjoyed it. The best aspect of Arctic research is the ability to collaborate with researchers in other fields working at the same site (for me this is Barrow and Atqasuk, Alaska) and to collaborate with researchers from other countries doing similar research (for me this is researchers in the ITEX Network
I always asked why and loved watching nature. As a kid I had lots of pets and enjoyed learning about them. When I got to college I realized that I could make a career out of studying nature.
What is the best part about being a scientist?
Working with students and helping them make interesting discoveries. The ability to travel and collaborate with researchers from other countries is really cool too.
As a child did you want to be in another line of work?
I did not realize that I could teach ecology. I always thought science was done in a lab. So as a kid I wanted to do lab research. But I pretty much always wanted to teach and do research.
How has your research made an impact in the arctic tundra area?
I have shown clearly that the response of tundra vegetation to warming varies greatly across plant species, that the response of a plant species can vary at different sites, and that the response of a plant species can vary over time.
Why did you chose the artic tundra compared to other ecosystems for your studies?
Mostly out of chance. I was given the opportunity to do research in the Arctic while working on my Masters Degree and I took it. Ever since then I have really enjoyed it. The best aspect of Arctic research is the ability to collaborate with researchers in other fields working at the same site (for me this is Barrow and Atqasuk, Alaska) and to collaborate with researchers from other countries doing similar research (for me this is researchers in the ITEX Network