“Thanks to everyone* who helped make our 30th departmental retreat at the UMBS a fun and informative event,” said Professor and Chair Diarmaid Ó Foighil. “The weather was exceptionally kind and we had a good turnout – 87 registrants and their children. In addition to field trips, the events included a well-attended speed talk session, featuring students and faculty, and a workshop on ‘Managing Yourself in Academia.’”

The Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan hosts an annual retreat for students, faculty and postdoctoral fellows to connect, learn, and just enjoy each other’s company. Every other year it is held at the U-M Biological Station in Pellston, Mich. Last year, the retreat was at the Lodge at Nordman Lake, Dexter.

“The Biostation retreat is my favorite EEB event as it provides a fantastic opportunity to meet new students, catch up with current students and enjoy some time outside,” said Pascal Title, Ph.D. student.

“It was one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences I have had in all these years,” said Professor Yin-Long Qiu. “There were organized programs and activities, but also plenty of free time to explore on your own and chat with colleagues and students in the department. It was a great way to start the semester.”

"The field trips were fantastic!" said Mike Grundler, a new Ph.D. student. "What could be more fun than traipsing around northern Michigan habitats with highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic guides? The discovery of two beautiful and elusive snake species will serve as the highlight of my first trip to 'bug camp.'"

“The Biological Station is wonderful, but the best part of the retreat was having a chance to talk with students, meet new students and talk with everyone in the department,” said Professor Paul Dunlap.

Enjoy the photos in this EEB retreat web album and videos that you will find at the top of EEB’s YouTube channel, including one video below.

*Special thanks go to:

Jane Sullivan: for doing a heroic job on the logistics
Retreat Committee: Yin-Long Qiu, Paul Dunlap, Marian Schmidt and Anneka Jankowiak
Trisha Wittkopp: ex-officio Retreat Committee member and workshop organizer 
Paul Dunlap: our newly certified bartender
Van drivers: Jordan Bemmels, Anneka Jankowiak  Ivan Monagan, Marian Schmidt, Andrew Wood
Knute Nadelhoffer: Host and UMBS tour leader
Robyn Burnham and Tim James: plants and fungi field trips
Dan Rabosky: herpetology field trip
Yin-Long Qiu, Paula Teichholtz, Andréa Thomaz and Camden Gowler - aquatics fieldtrips


Mike Grundler, new Ph.D. student, Pascal Title, Ph.D. student, and Ivan Monagan, new Frontiers Master's student describe the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake they found at the EEB retreat at the University of Michigan Biological Station. Video by: Diarmaid Ó Foighil.