Supported by a FLMNH Travel Award, I had the privilege of spending two weeks this November at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden in the Netherlands and engaged in worthwhile and enjoyable research activities during my stay. I had fruitful discussions about our new directions in dragonfly color ecology with my collaborator on the topic, the one who invited me to visit the center. I presented two 30-min talks to two very different audiences: one very technical for researchers in biodiversity informatics considering using citizen science data, and another on dragonfly ecology and evolution for a general audience of biologists. I had many productive discussions, both scheduling and non-scheduled, with several different researchers at Naturalis from students to PIs. It was especially exciting to engage with those specializing in my relatively niche research area (AI and data science for biodiversity), who introduced to me a wealth of new perspectives and ideas that I can use in the future. My exchanges on this trip not only helped refine my ideas but also opened doors to potential collaborations, for example in helping to apply my methods to investigate spider color morphs. For me the trip, along with other trips this year, was an important part of my growth as a professional academic. Socializing in an academic setting on my own and delivering talks that I was proud of made me feel confident and valued. My research program developed greatly thanks to all the new ideas I discussed, while my professional network also expanded.
Jacob Idec is a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, advised by Dr. Rob Guralnick, Curator of Biodiversity Informatics here at the Florida Museum.
The 2024 Fall Student Travel Awards are supported by the FLMNH Department of Natural History, including funds from the Louis C. and Jane Gapenski Endowed Fellowship and the B.J. and Eve Wilder Endowment. If you would like to help support this fund for future student awards, please go to:
Louis C. and Jane Gapenski Endowed Fellowship
B.J. and Eve Wilder Endowment