Looking back

The end of 2014 was a pretty busy time, what with having to watch all (but one - which I frustratingly forgot to bring on holiday) the Harry Potter movies (You should have guessed I am a fan and there is a study that shows that reading the Harry Potter novels made young people less xenophobic so I am not even going to be embarrassed by my fandom)... One of my friends suggested that binge watching Harry Potter movies was a perfectly reasonable way for people in their thirties to spend New Years Eve. 

OK, OK, and there was that whole graduation thing (which was totally Harry Potter-esque). So let me catch you up... 

My two PhD campuses:
University of Cape Town and
University of Pretoria (still intact)

While walking to the (what I thought would be cringey lunch) I couldn't help thinking that the arches of SMUTS residents are wasted on 18-year-old first years who are probably too young to have watched Harry Potter. The Smuts dining hall is lovely, and even if the first years have watched Harry Potter, I am sure they wouldn't recognise the crests of the four provinces of "Old South Africa" that adorn the stain glass windows.  The quad area is also fabulous. I felt sad that I had spent my first year in an ugly pink, spiral building at the bottom of the hill (Tugwell).

The lunch wasn't at all cringey. My main supervisor was also invited and it was really nice to sit with her and not talk about my thesis. (She did ask another PhD student at the table how long it had taken him and I couldn't help nudging her and telling her that it and "what are you doing next" are rude questions. He said it is the equivalent of asking "how old are you?" and "how much do you weigh?")  The food was delicious and it was a fabulous cheap thrill to have to stand up and bob my head (blushing furiously) when they called my name (every PhD got to stand up and bob - although the extroverted ones waved or bowed and didn't blush at all). It was also really great to have some friends graduating at the same time as me, so it was even more fun than expected to go collect our RED CAPES and try on the silly pouffy hats. 

Go on, you know you
can picture this in
Hogwarts... 

And then... I fell in love... 

When I graduated in 2003, I looked admiringly at the PhDs in their red capes and right there I decided I had to be one of them one day. Admittedly, an outfit - not matter how awesome - is probably not a good enough reason to do a PhD, but once I had that cape in my hands, I didn't want to ever give it back. 

blurry with excitement...
but that's pretty much the grin that
was plastered on my face all afternoon

So, we all know graduations are boring, you just have to sit and listen to a bunch of names that don't mean anything to you (although I have been a demonstrator for some of the BScs) waiting for the two seconds when you go up and spend the whole time concentrating so hard on not stuffing up that it all passes in a bit of a blur. However, even knowing and anticipating that (it is not my first graduation, you know) I spent the whole time grinning like a crazy person. We had awesome front row seats so lots of opportunity to comment on the ridiculous heels some people were wearing (no tripping, but there was one very close call) and I was right in front of our department's very lovely HOD. I am pretty sure she noticed me grinning like a crazy person, but I was really very happy to be there. 

The quality of the paper appears to
be related to the degree you are getting.

It was also really fantastic to have my folks down in Cape Town for a bit of a holiday and wine drinking. We went to Kirstenbosch's magical Carols by Glow stick. We celebrated at a lovely new restaurant in Harfield Village that serves responsible, seasonal and sustainable food - Graze - and let us drink lots of our own wine without charging corkage (this was because they are still waiting for their liquor licence so was a time-limited bonus). We also explored "The Spice Route" which isn't a route as such, but one place with loads of exciting things to do (wine tasting, chocolate tasting, beer tasting and delicious food at the restaurants). But, even if all we had done was go to graduation, it was lovely to share this huge moment with two of the people that made it possible, were forever supportive, generous and patient and never put pressure on me. I am, and always will be, so grateful to my amazing parents. 

I was also humbled (AGAIN - gosh this PhD thing is very humbling) by all the messages and support I got on the day and subsequent to it. And, did you know, graduation can result in gifts!? I did not expect that at all, but was very excited about them nonetheless! 

For those of you that are wondering if the pain and torture is worth it... (I am not going to mention the physical heart ache I felt when handing back the cloak and having to acknowledge that I am no longer a UCT student) I have to say that it is. (Well, graduation day is - I am currently unemployed, so in the bigger picture I am not sure whether or not it was). Yes, it is cheesy and old-fashioned and only a single day after years of PhD stress, but I was so thrilled to be there. I would possibly have worn that red cape (and even that silly pouffy hat) everyday for a year

if I didn't have to give it back. So do it - submit - and go to your graduation!

Of course, now to find a job.... 

Then and Now!

The weird things we do for...

Money! 

Of course! I am a post graduate student and have been for so long that I am likely to scratch your eyes out if you ask me how long (OK, I won't actually scratch your eyes out, but I might want to, and isn't that just as bad? So, Rather don't ask!) The one thing that most post grads have in common is a lack of money. (Unless they are really lucky and have awesome funding). We also have flexible schedules (I have discussed what this actually means) which means that we can squeeze random extra work in and make it up late at night or on the weekend, and, because we don't have any money, we are willing to do so! 

I have worked some weird jobs over the years. And, since I am hoping to start another (short-term but full-time) job (oh yes, I will be finishing my PhD late at night and on the weekends) shortly I thought I would reminisce and (probably) make you feel better about whatever work you are moaning about now. (There were some things that I did really enjoy, but I suspect they would still seem a little bizarre to non-biologists). 

Most bizarre: 

In undergrad I spent 100 hours sorting worms (and other invertebrates, but mostly worms) from Lake Victoria for a post grad that I can't even remember the name of. The worms were stored in Formalin, and to this day I believe that, after that work, my hands get wrinkled in water quicker than they did before. The money did help pay for a trip to the UK back in the day when you could fly there and back for ~R5000. 

Worst:

I can't think about work without thinking about how awful this job was and not just because it had nothing to do with biology. When a new shopping centre in Cape Town's northern suburbs opened up, they hired students to wear red overalls and be on hand to show people around or tell people where everything was. I was one of those red overalls. I know this doesn't seem particularly awful, does it? Shifts were 12 hours long, and we were paid (I think only just but possibly a little below) minimum wage. We weren't allowed to sit, or lean against the wall on threat of being fired. The centre turned people crazy and they took it out on the red overalls, swearing, being generally rude and one girl actually had someone kick her when the lift went down instead of up. It was chaos! Needless to say I have never been back to that shopping centre, nor have I worked for those "student recruiting" organisations again - although handed out fliers at traffic lights wasn't too bad and I was proposed to by a random while do a Clicks promotion. 

What I would actually do for free:

I could easily have a post that lists the things that I have done for free, I am a compulsive volunteer, but thankfully this is something I get paid for but still feel passionate about: promoting the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Although on a school day morning at the aquarium with children every where shouting and singing (you know what children are like when they are having fun - dreadful! - kidding!) I am pleased I get paid. It gets tiresome saying the word "sustainable" over and over again but it is an important word to say. I also love the fact that something like the MSC or SASSI program puts the power in the hand of the consumer to choose to buy sustainably and therefore encourage more fisheries to be responsible. I look really awful in this video but this is the message (I had no warning that someone was going to film me, I was pretty horrified). Incidentally, I tried to volunteer for SASSI when they first started up, but it didn't work out and it remains in my top 3 dream places to work.

What I would most recommend:

And actually what I am doing now: housesitting. You can work on the PhD while getting paid a little for looking after a house. Perfect. And, if there is a lovely kitty to sit on your lap while you drink tea in the really cold weather, or a sweet little dog to take on walks on sunny days, even better. The downside is that you don't have your stuff easily accessible and I worry a little about my own home so tend to go check up on it from time to time, and houses are colder than flats but otherwise it is good, and a change in scenery is as good as a holiday, right?

What has helped me survive with no funding for 18 months:

A friend was doing pretty intensive field work on mussels, and without that money I would have been eating two-minute noodles for the last two years. We had to install cages on the rocky shore (diesel generator and drilling into rocks between waves - pretty exciting stuff), check the cages and cleared patches (between waves, also exciting), and finally remove the cages (rusted screws - fun!) But actually it was really lovely to be on the rocky shore doing hands on experimental biology on a beautiful shore and working with friends is always a good thing. But I have mentioned this work before.






The other fairly constant supply of money has been from demonstrating for the second year practical sessions. The added bonus with that is I find I probably learn more than they do because I don't need to know it for exams, I just find it interesting. I really enjoy the interaction with the second years; sitting in an office working at a computer can get lonely and I love their (some of them, anyway) optimism and enthusiasm for science (before the PhD cynicism kicks in, these kids still think they can change the world). 

(PS my awesome family and friends have helped me out in so many ways that I would never have managed over the last 18 months without them!!!)

Lastly, my favourite:

Last year, I worked for a marine consulting group in Cape Town on a short term contract. For once I felt like the work I was doing was real and important. It felt like a useful project and I loved the applied nature of it. There was a whole different way of writing that it took me some to get used to but it was interesting and challenging and frustrating and I loved that for a little while I felt like I wasn't just a student doing odd jobs to have money for food (and, let's be honest, wine...) There was also a lot of weird bureaucracy so that's why I am not mentioning the name of the company or the details of the work. 

Student T Tests

Kirstenbosch gardens have some lovely spots for
thinking about nothing other than the sounds of
the birds and insects 

I have some amazing and generous people in my life and have recently been spoilt with extravagant gifts for my birthday and am frequently spoilt with delicious dinners. One of the most frustrating things about being a (poor) PhD student is that I can't return the gesture.


When I am in Cape Town, many of my friends are in similar situations as I am. This means that they understand the erratic hours, the lack of finances and the occasional existential crisis. They send me job adverts, and I return the favour. They understand the power of a well-timed chocolate or glass of wine (or dinner invitation).

We do PhD's (in biology) because we believe ourselves to be passionate about the environment, sustainability, knowledge and the constant desire to gain a little more understanding of the world - and - because we weren't sure that we could get a job in biology without one. We are (mostly) stumped by the idea of tax returns and marvel at the prospect of owning property (although it does happen) or having a pension plan (not that that doesn't keep us up at night).

Stress

This is something everyone can relate to, I am sure. It is an all-pervasive condition of our world - at least as far as I can tell. I am guilty about stressing about things that aren't even real. For instance, I have been avoiding asking my supervisor for help because I can feel her rolling her eyes when I pop my head into her office - only, she isn't. I am just projecting the frustration I am feeling with myself on to her. She, meanwhile, considers my work a priority and told me I mustn't hesitate to ask her things. (She really is VERY nice, and says this despite being SUPER busy ALL the time.) One of the troubles with stress, is that we are all in our own heads so much, we start making up things to stress about, and since there are very real things to stress about, that seems a little bit like a silly thing to do. 

And personally, I have had long-lasting, physiological symptoms of stress, real ones - diagnosed by doctors, but besides that, there have also been various small things I have noticed about myself that have changed as a result of stress. (I noticed this particularly when I handed in the first time, although some of the symptoms are returning like old friends). Firstly, terrible memory, granted I have never had an awesome memory for details, but this is a kind of preoccupied single mindedness that isn't even necessarily thinking about my PhD but about how stressed I am about my PhD. This means that I can literally have a conversation with you and completely forget all details - or sometimes, even the fact that we had a conversation (sorry!). Here, and only in this instance, wine doesn't help! 

I was also more than usually scatter-brained. Once, I actually left the stove top on for hours - thank goodness everything was fine but please don't tell Eskom  - I am honestly usually very good about electricity. I also lost stuff. This seriously bothered me. I can tell you where my Grade 1 diary is right now. I am usually a really organised, neat person and I know where to find my stuff, but I lost things. And it worried me!!! 

Then there was the normal stuff, the self-involvement, the wanting to hide under the bed, the vaguely hysterical moments, wanting to eat chocolate, drinking wine (this does help)... you know, normal stress responses. This time, I am honestly just exhausted, which is annoying because I should be working late in to the nights but instead find I am sleepy by 9pm. And, when I do sleep, I am dreaming about giant chemical elements scrabble pieces that are aggressive in a way that scrabble pieces just shouldn't be. Last night I actually dreamt that a boy kissed me and then told me that he had lots going on and didn't want to get involved in anything - a 31 year old single girl does not need that happening to her in her dreams!! I have also dreamt that we were driving through a war-torn Mauritius and the bridges were made of corrugated iron... I am not sure where that dream came from - but R did a sterling job of driving L and I through the gun-wielding thugs!

The trouble is that when you are stressed - and it is causing real physiological or mental damage, what can you really do about it? It's not exactly helpful when the doctors  tell you "it's stress" because you can't actually switch that off, or quit like you would cigarettes. 

Rather don't ask

The way I see it, there are two "don't go there" questions (maybe three if you include: "what year are you in"). The first: "when are you going to finish?" - As if you weren't feeling inadequate and pressured enough, people think it is okay to remind you that you are way over deadline and still don't have a job  (I am sure that this doesn't go through their heads when they ask the question, but it is what goes through my head when I am asked and is in the back of my head all the time anyway.) This leads me to the second question: "what are you going to do when you finish?" And, I suspect, that the only reason this is such an emotionally charged question is that, mostly, we have no idea. 

I desperately hope it will something more than getting a job at Pick 'n Pay (in the hope of a staff discount) but the trouble is, I really don't know. I have ideas of what I want to do and vague notions of what I am qualified to do and I have memories of why I started on this path in the first place, but it is not all that realistic to go knock on Captain Planet's door and say: "I am ready to save the world now - do you offer medical aid?" 

What ends up happening is you end up sending all your hopes out in the form of a CV for positions you are probably over-qualified for, but are not sure you have the skills  for (despite a lengthy EDUCATION). I have already gone through thinking that I have finished my PhD once, so I have had some experience in looking for work which, has mostly resulted in deafening silent, some rejection straight off or after a telephone interview and in another instant after a panel interview (incidentally, for my DREAM, wow-that-would-be-awesome job.) 

I decided I could do with some help on my CV. Coincidentally, one of my favourite UCT academics was discussing how dozens of CVs are sent in for each advertised post, and the tiny details are all that separates the candidates (he compared it to the milli seconds that separate the Olympic runner that wins, gets a gold, and everyone knows there name to the one that comes second). So, I roped him in to coming to talk to our post grad group about how to optimise our CVs. It was a really useful meeting and I thought I would pass some of his tips on... (I will spare you the story of how one of his PhDs did NOT get a UCT Post doc despite 15 publications - no one wants to hear that!) 

Obviously, the judging of CVs is a very subjective thing and everyone has different preferences, this is what Charlie suggested... 

• Use a big heading that includes your name.
• People differ in opinion on whether to include a photo or not, if you do, use a head and shoulders shot that clearly shows your face. 
• Limit the number of pages - consider the fact that the people looking through the CVs will have a lot to read through. 
• Include your date of birth, ID, nationality. 
• Include your academic record (marks too, particularly if your marks show either a consistent or upward trend). The level of the job for which you are applying will determine how far back you go. 
• Every time you include some thing, consider whether it is going to impress or not. 
• In early stages of career include the presentations and conferences you have attended and the drop off the less important ones as you go on, to eventually only included the key note presentations (ahhh imagine!!!)
• Unusual work or experience gets noticed and remembered, which is important when you are just a piece of paper amongst dozens. 
• So do things that show initiative.
• If you write a personal statement, you give the people reading your CV an insight into you that is not just factual. It is the bit that will show your personality and give you space to explain why, for example, you are applying for a job you are, on paper, over-qualified for or why you have not specialised in one particular field. 
• Something to keep in mind always is that the community is probably smaller than you realise, so your reputation is everything... 

Obviously there are many sites on line that can help you design a CV. UCT (and therefore I am guessing most other institutions) also has a career advice center that can help you with perfecting the flimsy document that is all that represents you in the job world. If it all feels a little overwhelming, I am trying to keep in mind that I am standing on the precipice of a whole new adventure... Good luck with yours and please, wish my luck with mine. :)  

OR.... 

Divine City

In Kirstenbosch Gardens

Today, I am just going to indulge in some of the awesomeness that living in Cape Town brings! Cape Town. The New York Times voted it the best city to visit; UCT was voted the third most beautiful campus in the world. And I live here and go to UCT! RAD! I am one of the luckiest person in the world and so are many of my friends and blog readers (theoretically, I can actually tell the countries my blog has been accessed from - which is just amazing really - and since it is mostly South Africa, I am presuming there are Cape Townians in there.) 

View  of Robben Island from Signal Hill 

This year, Cape Town is World Design Capital... and I am not entirely sure what that means. I do know that it means that they are encouraging people to explore and appreciate everything that Cape Town has to offer, which is a concept I can definitely get behind. Here are some of the reasons that I have left my desk over the last couple of weeks. 

Camps Bay taken with my BB

It is summer!!! How amazing is the sunshine? The sun is going down late (~8pm today) so you can still put in a full day of work and have time to enjoy Cape Town in the evening. Just 12km from UCT is Camps Bay, a ridiculously beautiful beach with sand so white and soft it should be illegal... BUT if the water is too cold, drinks too expensive and the crowd too hipster for you there's Muizenberg (23km from UCT but an easy train ride away). The water is deliciously warm and if you are feeling brave you can try surfing the reliable and small-enough-to-not-be-daunting waves (I say that, but I am still too scared to try it). Judging from the lovely restaurants along the beach front, (there's an ice cream place, Primi and Knead that I noticed) and in the area (there's a great Indian place just around the corner from the beach front that has delicious food but no card facilities), and how busy the market is on Friday nights, Muizenberg is becoming a more and more popular place to hang out. 

From Signal Hill looking at Lions Head

Table Mountain - of course - but if you are feeling too poor to take the cable car and too exhausted or don't have the time to trudge (shudder) up, there are great vistas from the road too the cable station, which I was reminded of when I dropped my couch surfer off up there. And there are also great views from the easily accessible Signal Hill.

Oh, and, host a couch surfer; they are generally awesome people and will give you a chance to be a bit of the tourist in the name of doing a good deed. 

Kirstenbosch! The most beautiful spot for live music, any music of course, but this year I was lucky enough to see my favourite band, the Parlotones (it is TRUE love) and am looking forward to Freshly Ground thanks to my super organised friends that buy tickets in advance. Usually I am too disorganised and they are both concerts that get sold out quickly. This will only be the second time I am seeing Freshly Ground and the first time was only little over a month ago at the Mandela Celebration event. 

With the CHAN cup happening I have also managed to visit our beautiful Cape Town stadium a couple of times. South Africa vs Mali was a little quiet but the South Africa vs Nigeria game was nail biting and the crowd was amazing. Even though we lost, it was such an awesome atmosphere the you couldn't feel too sad about the result

If you feel the need for some culture, the Maynardville's Shakespeare is a treat. Don't worry about trying to understand the Shakespearean English, the cast are excellent and will suck you in and carry you through the story with ease. Richard is wickedly magnificent in this year's Richard III, and even in this heavy, tragic story the cast elegantly deliver the witty lines that the brilliant bard has thrown in  to break the tension. (Organise to picnic before and take more clothes and blankets than you think you will need. Read the synopsis or the Phillipa Gregory novels before hand just to make sure you don't miss anything). 

Watch the sun go down at
Llandudno. 

OK so that, just some of the things that I have been up to in my resolution to make most of the summer sunshine. There are also many awesome markets, that fall variously along the hipster spectrum; so if you need a caffeine fix to get you working, you may as well get it from somewhere exciting. There are mountains to climb (shudder), dams to swim in, beaches to explore and wine farms to escape to. There is also the cricket to look forward to... If you want to escape the heat, the aquarium will sooth even the most frazzled mind (once you get past how expensive it is on your PhD budget!) 

Coffee... or high tea at the Mount Nelson
if you are feeling fancy and flush

There are also loads of awesome places to eat and drink when you just can't look at another paper anymore. I have the imagination of a flea so always tend to end up at Banana Jam - because I know it is reliably fabulous and they have cocktails and craft beer and happy hour from 5-6 daily; Forries - because it is close to UCT; or, the Waterfront - because I know it is cheesy, but whenever I go there I feel like I am on holiday and that has to be a good thing. Even though I never get around to it, it excites me that there are so many places in Cape Town to still explore. 

My favourite beach
I can't risk telling you where it is.

But GO, GO now before the hordes of undergraduates descend. GO, GO because you never know where you will be next year so try make the most of where you are today. GO, GO because winter will come, and it will rain and then you will be sad you didn't go when the days were long and the sun was shining.  GO, GO but make sure you wear sunscreen! (Thanks Jessica) I am off to spend the evening in the lovely Simonstown with one of my Namibian Dolphin friends. I am hoping to say hi to some penguins and maybe (if the water is warm) swim at my favourite beach...

PS If you don't live in Cape Town, come visit!!! I will happily show you around. 

PPS There are awesome things about everywhere, so if you want to tell me about your favourite thing from your home, please do... Maybe I will come and visit. 

.

Net-work it

Former Botany Department

This week is the Biodiversity Southern Africa conference at UCT. About a year ago the former Botany (which officially formed in 1903 after starting in the late 1800's) and Zoology (also started in 1903 but with only one person and one room it wasn't something to brag about) departments merged to become the all new Department of Biological Sciences. What did this mean for me and my fellow 'botzoos', not that much, well at least not until the new tea room opened; now we all mingle at 10:30 over restorative tea or coffee from the neon green coffee machine (environmentally friendly - but I haven't used it yet because frankly it's a little intimidating). Until this conference which is to showcase the fab new department and all the amazing work we are doing... No really...

Former Zoology Department
(My office window is the one
with the fab balcony above
the arch! - AWESOME)

I have mentioned before in "added bonus" that conferences are an opportunity to remind yourself how exciting and awesome your field really is. There are people doing really cool, sexy research, and you know, there are probably people that will think you are doing really cool, sexy research because they don't have to deal with the nitty-gritty, brain-numbing, data-punching, 1000-dissections repetitiveness. The conference had a number of really brilliant, inspiring talks. 

Marcus Byrne and the cooler-than-you-would-think dung beetle

After one of the public lectures I was so excited about the work that had been presented I was just buzzing. Marcus Byrne from WITS University gave a presentation entitled "'Jika ne Langa' - Turn with the Sun - Like a Dung Beetle". I was gushing about dung beetles like a teenage girl with a crush after his talk. He has a real gift for making science exciting and engaging his audience. What I particularly like about his research is how real it is. I know that sounds weird, but one of the things that I have always loved about science is the sexy experiment, manipulate the environment this way or that to find out what's causing the patterns you see.

Recently I have felt a little more removed from that so it was nice to see some great experimental research.

Beautiful (but not indigenous) Jacaranda.

Another aspect of it is hearing all the things that still need to be done. It is a different kind of inspiring when you realise that there is so much exciting and (from a conservation point of view) urgent work to be done. People need to do science, good science!!! There is so much we need to know. I took away from the one of the talks is that although we feel frustrated by a lack of changes resulting out of research, some things require patience. John Hoffman of UCT spoke of various biocontrol methods being used to mitigate the spread of alien plant species. From where I sit, we still have a huge problem with alien vegetation, but he convinced me that there has been a remarkable change, it is just that people forget how things were before. My laboured point is, conferences really are a great way to remind yourself how cool your field is. 

Of course, the thing about conferences is, you can't really just sit and soak in other people's work. Chances are, you are going to have to present your own work at some stage too, which many people find to be a nerve-wracking occasion. This may seem like a bad thing, but there are unexpected positives: having to present your work means you will have a hard deadline by which you have to do your work, always useful in a world of procrastination. It also means that  people will finally cotton on to what you are doing (and in my case, hopefully realise that I am no longer working on African Penguins - come on people, it has been 5 years!!!) and maybe even have ideas for you or will remind you that your work is exciting too! If nothing else, I suspect that the more often you present the easier it becomes. There are people better suited to telling you how to ace a talk. (Check out thesis whisperer) I am still trying to figure out how to struggle through these things myself. Of course, the usual hints are redundant because you should know them by now... practice, make eye contact, ooze enthusiasm, avoid slang, don't put too many words on a slide etc. 

I think the biggest unforgivable presentation faux pas is to go over time. Chances are you will be rushing towards the end so are more likely to make mistakes/mumble and no one will be listening to you after your time is up anyway because they are watching the reaction of the session chair or wondering how they can sneak out quietly. Having listened to dozens of presentations, your audience will have little sympathy for you if you trespass on their time for longer than you are allowed. If you practice anything, practice timing.

After the talk, avoid the "I should've...", "I meant to... " self abuse, it is finished and  probably went well. Organise to go to the pub and have a glass of wine (completely out of character I actually had hot chocolate instead but that was because my smart "presenting-dress" was ill suited for the ridiculously cold evening - unexpected in southern hemisphere December.) I tend to agonise over what I should have said, and what I forgot to mention, it isn't a healthy practice. I think, the best is if you have a friend that you can trust to tell you in a nice, non-critical, constructive way whether or not you have any bad habits, but other than that, just put all your post presentation angst in a bubble and blow it away...

Delheim's un-irrigated vineyards. 

As an aside, I was part of the organising committee for this conference which was great because I met and worked with people I wouldn't have otherwise known. It was also good during the conference because on the evening of the cheese and wine I was pouring wine so many more people came to speak to me than I would otherwise have spoken to.

WWF - BWI doing great stuff!

Yummy lunch at Delheim

It also meant that I could suggest/organise (I forget who actually suggested it, but I ended up organising it - with help of course) a field excursion to the winelands as an official outing. (We learnt about the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative and what Delheim is doing to be more sustainable and environmentally conscious, but we also got to drink wine!!!) Actually, I was really impressed with what they are doing, they seem to really care about their impact on the world and aren't just ticking boxes. It is a family farm and they seem very passionate about the environment, and I didn't realise how complicated making wine could be. I would have been convinced that they were cool people just by the number of very happy looking dogs and cats that had the run of the place. So I will leave you with the suggestion that you really should drink more Delheim wine - and since it is Friday afternoon, you may as well start now...

Yummy, guilt-free wine!

The 'F' Word

There are various examples of people talking about the benefits of failure (TED on failure including the amazing E.O. Wilson with his advice to young scientists) and how it shouldn't be something to be scared of. I am not sure that helps much when you are banging your head against your desk - but I am still going to talk to you about my own experiences and maybe you can find a tiny ray of hope or enjoy a moment of smugness that you didn't have these experiences. 

Above: Me - way back when: with my
wave-tunnel. The photo is taken by
my supervisor, Charlie Griffiths.
Below: The alien crab (photo by Arthro)

In honours (in South Africa, it is a 3 year BSc followed by 1 year Honours) we had two research projects. One of mine was meant to be on spiny starfish Marthasterias glacialis eating sea snails (Oxystele spp). I was investigating prey size or species preference - honestly, I just don't remember the details. We collected the star fish and snails from a lovely spot in False Bay, brought them back to the aquarium and set everything up... Nothing happened. The silly star fish didn't want to eat. There was no reason for this not working, it was a simple, neat experiment (that I forget the details of so don't try replicate it to prove me wrong), but it flopped. 

My supervisor, who really is one of my heroes in science, and I came up with another idea (OK, I was in Honours, it was probably all his idea). I really loved this project too. I set off to the V&A Waterfront with a crab trap baited with sardines I had bought from Pick n Pay (I resisted buying the ones marinaded in tomato sauce) and sat on the pier catching crabs (you can imagine the teasing I received during this project). I then tested the gripping strength of an invasive crab species (Carcinus maenas) compared to a local species (Plagusia chabrus) by putting them in a wave tunnel and timing how long it took until they let go off the rock. (Spoiler alert - the local species was much better adapted to wave exposed coastlines). This second project worked out really well and was subsequently published and won me a poster prize at the South African Marine Science Symposium in 2008. (*Failure flop*)

Above: Ridiculously adorable penguins
at Boulders Beach.
Below: Transponder reader installed
on Robben Island. 

Me fitting a flipper band

In my MSc, on African Penguins, (I know you are thinking ahhhhhh - but don't be fooled, those seriously adorable, ridiculously photogenic birds can be surprisingly mean and their bites draw blood!!) I was testing whether flipper banding impacted on foraging trip duration and survival. Half the birds were banded and all birds had a unique transponder inserted under their skins (like the pet ID you use with dogs and cats?) I had set up a walk-through transponder reader to record time and direction they were going in on one of the major penguin highways on Robben Island. The trouble was, half the time, it didn't work: the computer overheated, the power on the island was ridiculously unreliable and each time it failed I lost EVERYTHING, I couldn't reliably tell which way the birds were walking etc. Near the end of my first (of 2) year I was understandably in a panic. 

Photo taken by +Richard Sherley of penguins walking through
transponder reader on Robben Island. 

A view of Boulders Beach.

As a back-up plan, we decided to do a breeding success study at Boulders Beach (between banded and unbanded birds). This meant watching the sunrise over one of the most beautiful beaches in Cape Town on my weekly nest rounds (sometimes while knee-deep in guano, of course). Again, this work was actually published. (*Failure flop*)  Incidentally, my amazing friend +Andrew , who is one of the cleverest people I know, (he is now a software engineer and lecturer at Oxford) managed to rescue the other part of my project and in the end I had a whole chapter on methods (and their problems) in my thesis. 

Boulders Beach penguins

(Unfortunately, the biggest failure for penguin work is that the ridiculously adorable African Penguin population has plummeted and they are at seriously risk of disappearing all together despite a lot of effort going in to protecting them. Check out the amazing stuff being done at SANCCOB and some of the awesome research being done by various people at UCT  - +Kate 's penguin tracks blog, ADU website, +Richard's site or Penguin Watch. And if you can support with MySchool or "buy" a penguin from SANCCOB or come visit Robben Island on an Earthwatch team.)

These are just two examples from my earlier postgraduate days and there were MANY more stumbling blocks along the way (occasionally blood, sweat and tears all in the SAME day). The number of troubles increased EXPONENTIALLY with my PhD but that needs a whole new blog post - possibly accompanied by the fortifying strength of a bottle of wine.

Don't be fooled; that beak is strong

Greeting the sunrise on Boulders Beach