Beyond Google

Long gone are the days of the dictionary, encyclopedia, handheld map, and textbook. When curious minds inquire, they now instead proclaim, “I will Google it”. Google happens to be one of the most widely used search engines in the world. As a highly inquisitive individual myself, I often turn to my iPhone on a daily basis to enter something into Google. After all, knowing how and where to find information is becoming a more important skill than memorization and the internet has made information more accessible than ever before.  What has really struck me about our Iceland research is that the questions we are asking are in fact “beyond Google".

Bree and Abbi preparing chambers

Now, that might sound like common sense – of course you are doing research to gain new knowledge, generate information, and maybe even create paradigm shifts. But this reality hit me like a brick. What do you mean Google no longer contains the answers to my questions about nitrogen fixation, ecological stoichiometry, or metabolic theory?! Of course much is known about these topics and previous research has guided and shaped our questions and hypotheses, but many of the answers remain in the water.

So here I am in Iceland, going “beyond Google.” Our research is in full force as we strive to understand how important biogeochemical processes drive both the structure and function of stream ecosystems. I have learned that the work we have embarked on will provide novel information and that our findings will ultimately shape thinking, teaching, policy, and ultimately add to the wide world of Google. That is all for now! Stay tuned for some exciting results that will take you beyond Google!