Much has changed since last fall! To echo many other recent posts, much of my recent life has been adjusting to the new normal. We are about two months into Oregon’s initial stay-at-home orders. All things considered, I am feeling lucky in my situation. With plans to defend this summer, I am nearing completion of my Master’s research on the adaptive capacity of small-scale fishermen in Baja, Mexico. I am lucky to be able to continue to analyze data and write from home without having to change my research plans.

I have been wondering about the effects of current events on science outreach and collaboration. Although my research wasn’t disrupted, I am bummed about missing out on some outreach opportunities in the spring and summer. Back in February, I presented a poster of my research at the Ocean Sciences Meeting in San Diego. I was also planning to present at the Marine Socio-Ecological Systems Conference in Japan this week, but it was cancelled. I know that many people’s experiences are similar to my own: cancelled conferences, talks, meetings. These missed opportunities can challenge us towards developing new ways of disseminating science remotely. I recently presented via Zoom at the People and Nature virtual seminar here at OSU, and I quickly realized that presenting over Zoom (as opposed to in person) is a new skill in itself! I would imagine that this remote lifestyle affects collaborations too. I observed an (in-person) Marine Protected Area Sizing and Spacing workshop back in March that showed me how valuable it can be to gather experts in the same room to discuss ideas. Running this type of workshop remotely would absolutely still be useful but calls upon a different strategies and skillsets. As I ponder these ideas, I am finding myself continually impressed by the quality and variety of webinars, games, and other online resources that already exist or are actively being created to communicate science. It is encouraging, and it has been interesting to think about outreach and collaboration in this way.

Next fall, I am excited to be continuing on for a PhD in the Geography program here at Oregon State University. Working with my current OSU and NOAA mentors, I will likely be continuing my research into the adaptive capacities of coastal communities by focusing here in the Pacific Northwest. Some questions I am interested in are: How can coastal communities adapt to changes in ocean conditions? and How does collective action of fishing communities result in cooperation or conflict in fisheries? When planning out what my PhD research will look like moving forward, I will consider what is feasible with in-person interview methods that I hope to use. As Brittany mentions in a previous post, studying people recently has become much more complicated.

For now, I’m grateful to be continuing on as planned with my Master’s research and looking forward to wrapping it up this summer. Until the next post, take care!