I thought it was time liven up this space a bit.
But the changes are more than skin deep. I have added a list in the right sidebar of my favorite posts spanning some of the different topics that I write about. And lower down in the right sidebar I have a section for Ashland science blogs. These will include blogs by student authors from our science departments, most of whom started blogging as part of my senior capstone course on science communication.
I keep reading that bloggers need a niche, a focus that sets them apart from the many wonderful science blogs that are out there. As an integrative biologist my interests span from visual ecology, vertebrate evolution and systematics to protein biochemistry and lens development. But I am also deeply involved in mentoring undergraduate research, trying various technologies in my teaching (both new and old) and have developed an interest in exciting students about their ability to communicate science on the web through blogging. Does this all equal a niche? We will see.
I hope you keep reading.
This is amazing!! I love how easy it is to find topics and links, has lots of info and is so beautiful!
Gotta love wordpress!
Nice space!! Looks AWESOME!! I love that one of your favorite posts is the sea kittens one. Hahahha! I was telling someone about that the other day. It still cracks me up!
I love your blog by the way. Speaking of niches though do you find that people are interested in the visual aspect of fishes. I ask because my background is non-visual senses and I am about to do a postdoc on that very topic. I often wondered if people would get bored if I kept posting about non-visual senses.
@Daniel – I think non-visual senses are fascinating, and a great niche in which to develop a cool research program. What you are really talking about are basal vertebrate sensory systems that were then lost or modified when tetrapods adapted to life on land (in air). Those lateral lines don’t seem worth much out of the water. But I imagine the non-visual systems are under-researched, and probably ripe for some great discoveries.
A friend of mine has a great paper in PLoS on the zebrafish barbel as a model for vertebrate tissue development – maybe not exactly the type of work that you have in mind, but an example of where research on fish sensory systems can lead you. – http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0008737
Love the new layout! You’ll be happy to know that I FINALLY finished the Schubin book!