Dr. Olivia Vought

Dissertation title: Global change impacts on plant and carbon dynamics in montane meadows

1. My favorite experience was the field work I got to do in Colorado and New Zealand. Getting to do climate change work in high elevation montane systems, which are some of the fastest changing environments in the world, was inspiring, and I had the best collaborators. The mountains were gorgeous too!

2. When I was a sophomore at the University of Vermont, I heard an NPR story about climate change research happening at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab. The story discussed how phenology, or the timing of ecological phenomenon, is changing with climate change. I thought that was so interesting, I started working in ecology labs on campus after an experience doing independent research I was hooked. I ended up coming to UM EEB to study phenology in mountains with Aimee Classen. 

3. My advice is to work on things that really excite you! A PhD is such a unique time where you can work on things that are interesting to you, and staying curious about your work will help you get through the inevitable long days. 

4. This fall, I will be starting as a Gaylord Donnelley postdoctoral fellow with Sara Kuebbing at Yale. 

Dr. Natasha Stepanova

Dissertation title: Dynamics of body form evolution in lizards and snakes

1) Being in the Wet Collections at RMC, with all the herp and fish folks, was always a highlight of the week for me. You never know what you'll learn when you're out there. Also traveling for conferences and research - I've gotten to travel to many amazing places and meet a lot of  cool scientists from around the world during my time here. 

2) I started working in the herpetology collection during my sophomore year of undergrad. I was already excited about biology, but being immersed in the museum community and meeting visiting researchers got me excited about collections and the power of specimen-based research. My passion for museums brought me to EEB. I've been incredibly fortunate to do research and outreach at the UMMZ and UMMNH throughout my six years here.   

3) My advice: learn to manage your time. When you start graduate school, you'll have a lot of competing priorities: teaching, classes, your dissertation research, side projects, outreach/service, reading papers, etc. - not to mention all the daily necessities of living, family, friends,  and things outside of academia. It's easy to get pulled into the tasks that feel the most pressing and neglect others, but it's important to set boundaries and block out time to do things. Don't let any single thing monopolize all your time. And most importantly, save some time to spend with friends and on your hobbies. 

4) I will be doing an internship at the Natural History Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark this fall.