A dedication to scientists...

Well the life of a field biologist definitely has rewards; an opportunity to have a positive impact on the earth, a chance to be in the midst of scientific breakthroughs, hopes of proposing new theories, and the long sought after PhD. However, these payoffs don't come easy. The work that a scientist must do is extremely taxing and laborious. I can attest to the intense work that one must go through in order to gather enough data and propose new scientific theories.

Today our team worked in the field surveying vegetation plots at two different sites for seedlings and saplings for another 5+ hours. After receiving snow yesterday and experiencing a heavy frost this morning, laying on the ground searching for seedlings and saplings was not an easy task. It was cold and difficult to stay focused. This Earthwatch expedition and research opportunity has made me respect the work of field scientists that much more. These scientists don't only work long hours in the field, but they also put in a tremendous amount of hours in the lab. The hours of field research is followed up more time in the lab sorting through collected specimens before the analysis process can even begin.

So tonight's post is dedicated to all of those scientists who sacrifice for the rest of us. Scientists who despite the long hours, persist to conduct research to make our world a better place.