We got on board R/V Pelican yesterday with our gear, spent the afternoon and evening setting up the labs and repairing equipment while cruising to our first station. We’ll be collecting sediment samples and processing them for geochemistry, microbiology and sedimentology.
I borrowed LISST-100 for this week’s field trip. After much reading, I think the deal is : (1) LISST-100 talks to the older software Ver. 4.65 but not to Ver. 5.00; but (2) Ver. 4.65 does not install on Windows 7. I hope someone at work has a spare Windows XP machine I can borrow.
Things I like:
1. The app.
2. The fact that all the session rooms are arranged very close together in a circle.
3. All of the Atchafalaya- and Mississippi-related talks and posters. I may be biased, though.
Things I could appreciate some tweaking:
A. There are way too many posters for the allotted 90 minutes. It was impossible. I tried to at least glance at all the posters before moving on to the “catching up with people” phase of the poster session, but failed.
B. The cash bar didn’t have enough change and didn’t take credit cards. Even Girl Scout cookie booths take credit cards nowadays. NOLA Convention Center, get with the program, please!
The items 1 and 2 above have been making it possible for me to catch up with as many Atchafalaya-related talks as possible without wasting time by getting lost between rooms. Props to Helen and Co. for implementing the app and booking the perfect venue.
The storytelling workshop by Randy Olson, Dorie Barton and Brian Palermo was awesome. Props to the instructors for packing lots of great tips into an entertaining hour, and more props to NSF for funding it.
There were lots of info, but this Hero’s Journey analogy especially stuck with me.
I’m still making visual aids for my talk tomorrow. I hope the wireless connection is working tomorrow at the convention center so I can upload it at the last minute. The image is showing the effect of xanthan gum and electrolytes on montmorillonote flocculation.
I’ll be participating in the ASLO 2013 meeting that starts tomorrow.
Starting Small 