A couple of weeks ago, I was invited on the editorial board of Annals of Applied Biology. Not counting the dozen invitations by MDPI ‘journals’, this was the first time I was asked to do something like this. For an early-career researcher like me, this is of course an exciting event and moreover it feltContinue reading “I guess I’m an Associate Editor now”
Monthly Archives: July 2021
Who doesn’t love a good ol’ dose of admin crap…
“I would kindly appreciate it if you would think about it,” my boss told me a little over a year ago. “Well… It doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice, do I,” I asked in return. “Well. No, not really. Someone has to do it,” he answered. I hate it when people bullshitContinue reading “Who doesn’t love a good ol’ dose of admin crap…”
Wanted: sleep
I don’t mind waking up early. I really don’t. However, when I have to do so, I usually go to bed earlier, just to cover my sleep. Unfortunately, my son has no indicator that tells me how long he will sleep the next night. Sometimes he sleeps until seven in the morning. That’s wonderful. IContinue reading “Wanted: sleep”
What’s plan B?
Lately, I’ve been pondering over the question ‘what happens if this science thing doesn’t work out’ quite a lot. I never intended to do a PhD, but more or less did so because my MSc internship supervisor told me I should, and I liked working on plants and interactions. I never thought I was smartContinue reading “What’s plan B?”
I never thought I would ever prefer home office…
Slowly, but steadily, the end now really is in sight! It took a bit of work, and quite some stress, and even some sleepless nights, but we did it. Last week, we harvested our barley greenhouse experiment. Check! This past weekend I planted my first local Freising tansy field experiment – which consists of leftoverContinue reading “I never thought I would ever prefer home office…”
A flower feast
Not much to see here today – except some pictures of the new field experiment. I went out to water the plants this afternoon, and the fields were – quite literally – buzzing with activity. This is the first year that I actively work on this plant species, Tansy, as a model system. (I haveContinue reading “A flower feast”
A silly clown
It’s quite funny how hysterical professional gardeners and greenhouse staff get when they see aphids. I get it, aphids are the devil – that is, when you’re a tomato grower or whatever. I cannot count count the number of times I have been warned about all the horrors that are aphids – as if IContinue reading “A silly clown”
Work on weekends – I try not to make a habit out of this(!)
I have decided that this will be a work weekend. It’s going against my own policy, and I don’t like it. However, with an überpregnant wife, it’s not like we’re going to make a spectacular trip or anything. Instead, we spent a lazy morning on the couch and floor, reading children’s books or playing withContinue reading “Work on weekends – I try not to make a habit out of this(!)”
A good batch!
Today was another amazing(ly long) day filled with Zoom presentations from 9.00 am until 3.30 pm. These were the final presentation of the landscape planning course I co-coördinated this semester with the landscape planners on-campus. I’m responsible for teaching the students a thing or two about ecology, and how landscape planning can be optimized andContinue reading “A good batch!”
Birthday boy
Isn’t it amazing how time flies by? Two years ago Heike and I had just become parents. After a 21-hour struggle, Rafa popped out at 00.54 on the 15th of July, 2019. Ten days earlier than expected. We were quite surprised. Weren’t babies supposed to arrive at their due date? Anyway, the 15th of JulyContinue reading “Birthday boy”
