Month: July 2025

Evolutionary Bootcamp by the Sea

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The legendary Woods Hole phylogenetics workshop

This May, Chinedum attended the Workshop on Molecular Evolution at Woods Hole, and wow—what an experience! Two weeks of intense lectures, hands-on coding, and late-night phylogenetics discussions with some of the brightest minds in evolutionary biology. From wrestling with RevBayes scripts to exploring molecular clocks and model testing, Chinedum was definitely pushed out of his comfort zone (in the best way) and came home buzzing with new ideas for his dissertation research. He called it one of the most intellectually intense—and rewarding—experiences of grad school so far. Plus, learning all of this while overlooking the ocean and bonding with brilliant, like-minded nerds? 10/10—would absolutely nerd out again.

The 2025 Woods Hole Workshop on Molecular Evolution crew!

 

 

The Marine Biological Laboratory glowing under the night sky.

 

 

Phylogeneticists on deck on our day off.

Zion + Cystopteris

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Fieldwork in Zion: Chasing Cystopteris in Bear Trap Canyon

 

This May (ok, as usual, I’m behind in these posts), Julia and Chinedum traded laptops for hiking boots and ventured into the wilds of Zion National Park for a three-day fern-hunting expedition. With the expert guidance and support of Darrin Gobble, the park’s Vegetation Program Manager, they set off on a two-day backpacking trip into Bear Trap Canyon—a lush, fern-filled drainage tucked deep in the Zion wilderness. Their mission: to track down the elusive Cystopteris reevesiana and Cystopteris utahensis, two key players in our ongoing research on fern biology. Along the way, they also snagged a few bonus Pentagramma samples, because when in Zion… collect more ferns, right? Huge thanks to Darrin and the Zion NPS team for making this trip not only possible but also wildly memorable—complete with towering canyon walls, sore legs, and lots (and lots) of ferns.

Darrin, Julia, and Chinedum soaking up the sun and sandstone after wrapping up a successful fern-filled backpacking adventure in Bear Trap Canyon.
Gorgeous Cystopteris reevesiana.
More also gorgeous C.reevesiana.
A stunning waterfall—likely the source of the creek in Bear Trap Canyon—tumbles down sculpted sandstone walls, nourishing the lush fern habitat below. Not a bad reward after a long hike!