There's No "I" in "Team" - or in "Research"

Amanda Keasberry and Dan Nelson

from the University of Alabama

Here in Iceland, we have quickly realized how reliant research is upon teamwork. The project began as a collaborative effort starting with Dr. Wyatt Cross from Montana State University, and Dr. Jon Benstead and Dr. Alex Huryn from the University of Alabama. Many of the students' work here in Iceland is contingent upon a grant written by these three scientists to investigate the effect temperature is having upon the biology of these streams. While we are here, we are working side by side with two students from Montana State University - Jim Junker and Ryan McClure. Jim is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Cross’s lab working on his dissertation. Ryan is an undergraduate in ecology. He has developed a set of experiments with Dr. Cross to assess the effect of temperature and food quality on snail growth rates, with an emphasis on stoichiometry. We are also fortunate enough to work with two students from the University of Alabama - Ph.D. student Dan Nelson and Amanda Keasberry.  Amanda is an undergraduate student from the Aquatic Biology program who is quantifying invertebrate respiration rates across a temperature regime to help with Dan’s work and to develop a project of her own. We were able to have a round-table discussion about the details of our projects the other day, and it was fascinating to see the areas of overlap with everyone’s projects, and how we will be able to use each other’s data to further our own progress.  There has been talk of papers written by students from different universities - an amazing outcome from our efforts here that exemplifies the importance of teamwork and collaboration.

Ryan McClure (left) and Jim Junker (right)

from Montana State University

It has been a valuable experience as a budding scientist to get a taste for the rigorous requirements of a graduate program by working with Jim and Dan.  Often, they will be working before we get to the lab and will stay long after we leave for the day – I’m beginning to wonder if they ever sleep!  Dan and Jim have both chosen a heavy work load for their dissertations and they are working together in order to collect all of the data they will need to test their hypotheses.  They are even doing an experiment using a heat exchanger that will warm up one of the streams so they can directly see the impact of temperature on one particularstream community. By seeing their efforts, it has shown me the level of commitment you need to have to excel in the demanding field of ecosystem science, and also how collaborative the work is.

It is amazing to see how much drive and passion all of the students have for this area of work, and it inspires me to work even harder and to be a better scientist. I have come to realize through this experience that, even though we are all from different areas of the United States, these scientists are people just like me. It has been a great confidence boost knowing that I can fit in and be a valuable team member with a group that is accomplishing so many things from such diverse backgrounds. It has been enjoyable to see the impact of professors, postdoctoral researchers, Ph.D students, and undergraduates on a project, as well as how different universities can work together to achieve similar goals. The researchers at the Veiðimálastofnun, the lab where we are able to work, are very accommodating and help us find the space and resources we need to complete our work. Without them, it would be nearly impossible for us to accomplish this work, which will help with some research questions they have about the Hengill watershed as well.

(from left to right) Dan, Ryan, Bayley, Amanda,

and Jim enjoying  the scenery in Iceland

We are fortunate to be in contact with so many people who care so deeply about the questions that can be answered at this unique work site. It is a great introduction for me into the research field, as well as to ecosystem science. So far, it has been the experience of a lifetime - one that I could have only had working alongside new people in an environment that was foreign to me. It has made me push myself to try new things and ask more questions, and it has made me comfortable with many of the leadership responsibilities that come with being part of a research team. I am extremely grateful for the people who have helped to make this happen, and I can’t wait to pass on the experience and knowledge I will gain as part of this process to my classmates back at home.