Mentorship
2026 Radio Series – Episode 5: Legacy
“I remember the first computer that my dad bought us was an old Compaq, and he thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. So did I.” -Bob Torgerson
Read More2026 Radio Series – Episode 4: Health
“We only had a head nurse and not a doctor, and she came and she asked me what I was doing, and I tell her I’m looking for a job. At the age of 14, she wrote down my name and then she said, you know what? You came at just the right time.” -Helen Peters
Read More2026 Radio Series – Episode 1: Family
“I think about all of the opportunities that I’ve had to interact with science from an early age, and the ability that we’ve had to give that opportunity to other people, but also the fact that this is a very, very unique opportunity that I’ve been given, and I’m really grateful for it.” -Merridy Littell
Read MoreField log: A full career of fundamental boreal forestry
“I remember his frustration as budgets were being cut. Now most of us experienced a mixture of apprehension and anger. The anger from the injustice of it and apprehension from how is this going to affect what matters to me? Not just my job, although that’s there, but also the things that I’m doing that I think are important And as near as I could tell, he experienced only anger. He was pissed.” – Dave Valentine
Read MoreIdentifying incompatibilities and resolving conflicts in research
“When I see people, I’d say maybe more senior personnel, get very angry about this, that, or the other, it almost comes out as like, an entitlement to that anger. ʼI have every right in the world to be this way,ʼ and there’s no longer any room to be like, ʼHm, maybe we need to take a step back.ʼ” -Jessie Young-Robertson
Read MoreMentors as both friends and role models
“If all my legacy is that I have produced one scientist, that’s enough for me.” – Elena Sparrow
Read MoreUneven ground: permafrost thaw and burnout
“The more positive side of people’s brains would say oh, no, no, no, these are learning opportunities or whatever, but at some point it’s actually just failure.”
Read MoreGrowing up in a research lab
“I started working with my high school teacher who was very, very dedicated to helping me reach this goal. She used to drive me to the university where I did the research after school everyday.”
Read MoreGrowing a collaboration
“I think what I’ve been focusing on is how can we take something that can spill out of people in such a negative way and make it neutral?”
Read MoreAn average field season, other than meeting the spouse
“Their formal role in this is to make sure I don’t die and my role is to make sure they experience a different part of the world that they wouldn’t get to otherwise.”
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