SEPTEMBER 2025

I’m drafting the first version of this blog on a 6-hour layover at Amsterdam Schipol airport. SONG INSPIRATION This blog is inspired by Emmit Fenn’s single, Painting Greys. HELSINKI Given the current funding climate and the lack of a permanent position, I am seizing every opportunity to share my science with the community. I’ve never […]

AUGUST 2025

Summer ends. Leaves turn. Fall approaches. SONG INSPIRATION This month’s blog is inspired by MONEY by LISA. FALL APPROACHES – NEW COURSE AND ANOTHER CYCLE Less than 2 weeks until classes start. The dregs of summer are almost over. The upcoming semester feels a lot different than previous ones. On the one hand, I’m teaching […]

JULY 2025

It’s peak summer! Time to grind and reflect. SONG INSPIRATION This month’s blog is inspired by Yung L.A.’s 2008 track Ain’t I. SWITZERLAND – ANOTHER WEEK OF SCIENCE Despite the oppressive heatwave that descended over Europe in late June, I had a wonderful time in Zurich and Geneva. While the cultural differences in either city […]

JUNE 2025

As we approach the end of June, I write this blog from multiple locations: a train en route to Brussels, a hotel room in Brussels, a train en route to Zurich, and a business hotel in Zurich. SONG INSPIRATION This month’s blog is inspired by Post Malone’s “I Like You” featuring Doja Cat. EDINBURGH – […]

MAY 2025 – PART ii

The lush green of Vermont heralds the beginning of summer and the second blog of the month! SONG INSPIRATION Taeko Onuki’s 4:00 AM (from the album Mignonne) START OF SUMMER The semester ended 2 weeks ago, and I submitted my grades last week. I taught mostly seniors this past spring, so the earlier deadline for […]

MAY 2025 – PART i

A blog on the first day of the month can only mean one thing – double blog month! SONG INSPIRATION The first blog of May is inspired by Muni Long’s Thot Thoughts. ENDING THE SEMESTER Week 11 of 12. It has been an arduous semester. I’ve made it this far thanks to a strong social […]

APRIL 2025

It’s ONLY month four of 2025! April showers bring false spring and mud season. SONG INSPIRATION April’s blog is inspired by Lucy Pearl’s Dance Tonight. DIRE PROSPECTS AND SPRING BREAK I spent two weeks in the Deep South sampling the coming spring, which included a lil too much pollen. My first stop was Texas for […]

MARCH 2025

The march – ha! – continues. Resistance is one day at a time. SONG INSPIRATION March’s blog is inspired by Kid Cudi’s Superboy. THE START OF SPRING The banks of snow are receding. The temperatures are rising. And the days grow longer. Spring semester is off to a steady pace – not quite the sprint […]

FEBRUARY 2025

It has been a wild few weeks, but such is the rollercoaster of fascism. SONG INSPIRATION February’s blog is inspired by SCOOP by Lil Nas X featuring Doja Cat. FIRST J-TERM Wow – talk about a freight train! I completed my first J-term course – Geology of Rocky Planets (GORP) last Friday. Four labor intensive […]

JANUARY 2025

New year, new aspirations, and new challenges. Welcome to 2025! SONG INSPIRATION The first blog of the year is inspired by Whitney Houston’s I’m Your Baby Tonight. WINTER BREAK I can’t overstate how much I needed four weeks away from N’Angland. I feel – mostly – rejuvenated, with fresh ideas and new year resolutions (last […]