A year in review & a year anew

We started the blog in January 2018 with our inaugural blog entry, Periods: Shark bait? … 25 entries and 3,900+ readers later, the year has come to a close. Now at the start of 2019, we wanted to recap the past year and share some new plans for 2019. Thanks to ALL for contributing their advice, stories, and sometimes embarassing experiences in the pursuit of field science. We love the open conversations that have been taking place here, Twitter, and Instagram!

 

Hiking in the Western Ghats with friends from the next NCBS cohort, a few months after my thesis defense

Humidity meets curly hair

Annelies Van de Ven

Me and my crew (before baby #2) processing in the field

Elisabeth chasing a manta ray while conducting research in Mozambique. Image courtesy of Andrea Marshall.

2018

What a year! We had the pleasure of sharing 21 entries featuring 26 different contributors. From field logistics and camp life, to health and safety, and managing family life, our blog contributors offered their unique perspectives to life in the field and beyond the science.

• Field logistics and camp life: finding the right clothing and gear, meeting dietary needs in a remote camp, figuring out field hygiene and bathroom breaks, packing appropriately for long stays, getting a start in scientific diving, celebrating in-field holidays, and field advice (x2!)
• Health and safety: finding a voice, safety and reporting harassment, medical problems in the field, self-care post-fieldwork, and fieldlife after cancer
• Family life: starting a family (x2!), breastfeeding, guilt of leaving home, and the loss of a pregnancy

And we certainly can’t forget the bad-ass women and fem-folks who shared their #FemFieldPhotos on Women in Science Day! It is so inspiring to see women across the globe doing what they do best – we highly recommend checking out the photos on Twitter when in need of a pick-me-up!

 

2019

In addition to our regularly-scheduled entries, here are a few of the exciting things we are planning for this year! In no particular order:

• Field Science Series: We’re excited to announce a new series of entries where we feature recent publications from field studies. For this science-oriented series, we will summarize a recent paper, highlight the fem-scientists behind the work, and include field stories/advice from the authors. We’ll be contacting authors of recent publications throughout the year; you can also nominate a paper to be featured in an entry by sending us an email at femfieldsecrets@gmail.com.
• Celebrating Women in Science Day: Like last year’s Women in Science Day entry, we’re looking forward to helping to elevate the talent and diversity of STEM-fem. We hope you join us on Feb 11th and share your #FemFieldPhoto!
• Promoting Diversity in STEM: Throughout the year, we will be devoting blog entries to topics of diversity and inclusivity in STEM.