Hannah is a 2nd year PhD Student from Animal Biology working in the Anderson Lab. Her research focuses on the functional morphology and biomechanics of salamander skulls. She uses a combination of materials testing and computer modeling to explore the mechanical demands of feeding in aquatic and terrestrial taxa.
What have you been working on this past week?
This week I’ve been working on an abstract for the International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology meeting, which this summer is in Prague. Otherwise, I’ve mostly been using this week for planning my semester – getting prepared for some field collection this spring, outlining my dissertation proposal, and figuring out which salamander skulls to CT scan next! I’m still gathering and processing data for my first project looking at the shape of a certain skull bone, which you’ll get to hear all about at my GEEB symposium talk this weekend.
What’s a fun thing you did this past week?
Last Friday I went to the Orpheum Children’s Science Museum in downtown Champaign. I had heard they had a box full of unidentified rocks, so I put my old Geology degree to work! There were some beautiful minerals including a giant blue fluorite crystal (I didn’t know it came in blue!). They want to use their rock collection in a summer camp, and we’ve started brainstorming some ideas. I was also given “homework” – to identify a mystery skull they had in an office. It’s missing some teeth, but it turned out to be an American Badger!
What’s your favorite lunch place?
Ichiban Sushi. It’s fast, it’s cheap, and it’s sushi. I’m partial to this hole-in-the-wall because they have my favorite: surf clams! They also have great lunch and dinner specials. Don’t forget to try the vegetable tempura or, if you want something lighter, their generously portioned seaweed salad. They also have soup, which is perfect on these cold days – especially because it’s only a block from my office in the Vivarium. My labmate and I have considered trying their all-you-can-eat sushi special, but we haven’t taken the plunge yet!
A view of your week:
