Rebecca C. Novello
You met Christine a couple of weeks ago, but there is also another member of our small research team. Rebecca C. Novello is a senior at Dartmouth College and she is graduating in June! I am very excited for the whole team to finally meet in 10 days! Even though Rebecca is in the middle of finals and graduating she had a moment to answer some questions.
What was your favorite subject in school? In high school, I was a total math nerd. When I got to college, though, I found that I was a lot more engaged in the first couple of biology classes that I took. I loved that I could get outside and that they connected me in a tangible way to the world around me. And best of all, I could integrate the math that I loved so much into this new cool subject. I think I was always bound to go into biology in some capacity, I just never really thought to pursue it in school before that.
Have you always wanted to be a scientist? No. My blacksmith phase aside, for a long time growing up I wanted to be a veterinarian or a zookeeper. It was always very hands-on careers -- ones where I could really see the effects of my work and feel as though I was helping another organism (though I was always far more attracted to animal than human care). I certainly still carry that with me; I'm constantly trying to find a balance between the incredible process of discovery in science and the feeling of doing something to help. I'd like to do work for a while in raptor rehabilitation to really see what other side looks like before I head off to grad school.
What is most fun about research? Playing in the dirt! I've always been a great lover of exploration, and I've tried to tailor my choices to maximize the time I get to spend in cool places doing cool science and messing around outdoors.
What is hardest about research? For me, the hardest part is the uncertainty. You never know if your research will pan out or if you'll get really interesting results. You just take things in stride and keep working and problem-solving as you go, which is a challenge for me. I like planning, so it's been a constant exercise, and I think it's been a very healthy challenge. And it constantly checks your passion for the science. The work can get really tedious sometimes, and youu have to really love what you're working on to keep the fire going.
Why did you want to research this particular topic?
For me, one of the biggest draws of science is the ability to discover something and then use that information to do something about it. That's what gets me going -- the idea that we can use the findings to inform management plans -- and so I'm very attracted to climate change research. Christine's work is both incredibly interesting and incredibly important in my mind. Pollinators are absolutely critical to the maintenance of plant diversity and the success of agricultural crops around the globe, and her research gives us a chance to really take a good look at how we're affecting those interactions.
Thanks for your time Rebecca!
Comments