Summary: <br> It’s 6 AM and you wake up as the crickets grow quiet and dawn illuminates your tent. After cooking breakfast over a campfire, you load a backpack and hike seven miles into a canyon.<br> <br> <br> <br> That’s when the science begins…<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Camp, Sample…<br> <br> <br> <br> When people think of science, they often conjure images of lab coats, chalk boards, and beaker-lined shelves. But for field scientists, the lab looks less like a soapstone bench and more like a frosty taiga, steamy rainforest, or bubbling hot-spring.<br> <br> <br> <br> This week, we talk with Vince Debes, a field-work researcher who studies extremophiles in Yellowstone National Park.<br> <br> <br> <br> Vince Debes, pictured here ‘in the lab.’<br> <br> <br> <br> He explains his research, including why sampling hot springs helps his lab understand which organisms will ‘come to the table’ given the chemicals and compounds available in the soup.<br> <br> <br> <br> We also learn about what it takes to plan and execute a research program in the field, where weather, broken equipment, and wild animals can interrupt and alter your research protocol.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Finally, Vince describes the traits and skills unique to making a scientist who can succeed at field work. It’s an odd combination of planning and improvisation: knowing the precise steps you’ll need to take, and adjusting your experiment when the environment forces a change.<br> <br> <br> <br> Here are some resources mentioned in the show:<br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="https://www.sols.asu.edu/everett-shock">Group Exploring Organic Processes in Geochemistry(GEOPIG) at Arizona State University</a><br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1570984506/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=heph04-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1570984506&linkId=91c55de7b1f8e82e0d8567afab099bc5">Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park</a><br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="http://hellophd.com/2017/04/070-imposter-syndrome/">Science in the News on Amphibian Parenting Practices</a><br> <br> <br> <br> …And Two Smoking Barrels<br> <br> <br> <br> A fire in 1910 caused the Old Forester distillery halt plans for bottling, and instead move the whiskey to a second barrel. The distinctive flavor led to this week’s ethanol selection: the Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whiskey.<br> <br> <br> <br> Like in 1910, the whiskey (or is it bourbon?) is barreled a second time for a smoother, sweeter flavor.<br> <br> <br> <br> We’re still waiting on the release of a quadruple-barreled option!<br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="https://www.promega.com/resources/student-resource-center/hellophd/?utm_source=hellophd&utm_medium=shownotes_oct_nov&utm_campaign=academic_hellophd" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><br> <br> <br> <br> <br>
