I forgot – I have a blog.

I’m in grad school now, living in Pullman and working towards my masters in botany from the school of biological sciences. I just finished my first paper for a class and had a very difficult time writing it. It made me realize that I need to start my one hour or so of writing a day again until I can write papers after three beers, while listening to music, watching a movie, and juggling a soccer ball. I’m just not sure if I’ll be able to squeeze an hour out of my schedule.

I’m going to try to focus on science mumbo jumbo, mainly because critically reviewing science articles is what I’ll be doing constantly for the next 2 years. But I may dabble in general biological processes relating to what I’m lecturing about for the weeks lab, or based on hikes I’ve done recently. I’ll try to stray away from the techie side of things (which is too bad, since that is my entire reader base) since I’m trying to officially retire. But my brother and I are still hacking away at the new version of Trailtracer so I may go down a tangent in that direction.

The Palouse starts south of Spokane and is readily apparent. Small mountains vanish from the foreground and are replaced with rolling farmland, devoid of trees and covered in wheat. Upon entering the Palouse I was overcome with a strong urge to speak to myself in Spanish and yell things like “donde esta las montanas?” and “Ahhh… esta bonita, no?”. Perhaps it triggered something deeply embedded in me, something from the old west, of cowboys, and ranchers. Or it was just a result of driving for three hours without radio.

The view from Highway 195, south of Spokane, the Palouse Loess is nearly ubiquitous. A few road cuts expose ancient basalt with origins from a volcano near the corner of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, called the Grande Ronde volcano, which was active during the late Miocene. The numerous eruptions make up the region in southestern Washington know as the Columbia Plateau. In the far eastern distance the foothills of the Rockie Mountains rise up above the flood basalt flows. One such hill, similar to those in the distance, is much closer. It is little over five miles from Highway 195 and is named Steptoe Butte.

Steptoe Butte is composed of rock much older than any other around. The rock was here before the basalt floods and before the loess was blown here from the glacial outwash plains. It stood tall before the conglomerate of exotic islands that compose Washington State were united, before the Kootani Arc was formed and even before life had evolved. Steptoe Butte is made up of Precambrian belt sedimentary rock and is over a billion years old.

There is a campground at the base of the butte and a road that spirals up to the peak. The road allows nearly everyone an easy way to the top but scars the hill’s facade. I, of course, had to reach the top. The road was narrow. Big trucks barreled down swerving into the middle of the road so I was forced to move inches from the edge just to avoid them. Large rocks sat in my path, marmots scurried all around me, and no guardrail was present. By the time I got to the top I felt as if I just drove through the gauntlet. It was worth it as I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Palouse and its huge sky rich with cumulus clouds. In less than three months I will be one of the many specks in these vast plains and I am nothing but excited about it.

I was asked to write about how I got into graduate school at WSU. I think reading about other’s experiences would have helped me while I was applying to grad school so I figure I better make my response public so other may benefit. Feel free to ask me any questions. Enjoy.

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The program that I am starting in August is at the graduate school of biological sciences in Washington State University. I will be pursuing a Masters of Science (M.S.) degree in physiological ecology with a concentration in plant sciences. Basically, physiological ecology means that I will be using the very minute aspects of biological systems (biochemistry, hormones, nitrogen and carbon cycles) to answer very large questions concerning things like whole ecosystems or even the entire biosphere. One great example of this is research being conducted by a professor at WSU, Asaph Cousins. Cousins and others have realized that photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration have distinct effects on the isotope composition of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels (the two contribute a different ‘version’ of the CO2 molecule). Using this knowledge Cousins is able to address questions concerning global exchange of CO2 by using molecular techniques to elucidate specific processes in leaf gas exchange. Basically, he is looking at the very specific mechanisms that gas is used in plants and using that knowledge to better understand the plant’s signature on the ecosystem level.

To get pass the first step for getting into grad school at WSU I had to meet certain requirements and do a lot of busy work. The most important, and awkward, experience was wooing a faculty member. Yes, I said wooing. Graduate school in the sciences is a lot like an apprenticeship so it is necessary to find a mentor (in academia we call them advisors – spelled incorrectly ). To find an advisor I presented myself in the best possible light by writing an essay about my ambitions, experiences, etc and telling the potential advisor how much I like him/her and how much we have in common. Yes, I was basically asking the person out on a date. For someone who has never tried online dating it was very strange for me.

Luckily Dr. Al Black (a very good professor, the head chair of the Washington natural heritage advisory council, in charge of a large research area called Smoot Hill, and the top dog of the biological graduate program), took some interest in me. I was flown to Pullman, put up in a hotel, and given a personal tour of the campus and faculty. Little did I know that the tour was actually an eight hour interview process where they attempt to break my brain. I was put in front of numerous professors who would rapidly teach me abstract concepts concerning each of their research interests and ask me very detailed and difficult questions concerning my own research experiences and knowledge. I was told I did an alright job during the interview but I was unable to be happy with myself because I was too busy drooling all over my shirt and sputtering nonsense.

So I got accepted and have Al Black as my advisor. I also was offered a position as a teaching assistant where I will co-teach biology labs to punk freshmen who do not want to be there. In exchange I get free tuition, free health insurance, and some money to buy oatmeal and Top Ramen. It’s a pretty good deal but not entirely special in the world of grad school in the sciences (to quote some lady: “If you pay for grad school in the sciences you’re a sucker. A sucker. Don’t do it!”).

Some facts:

WSU is ranked 2nd in the nation in plant sciences based on faculty research and publications, 7th in zoology, and 3rd in veterinary school (http://chronicle.com/stats/productivity/page.php?year=2007&institution=3875&byinst=Go).