In research, proper choice of a field site is key to the success of a project – and so too for conferences. The International Biogeography Society hosted its annual meeting in Tucson, Arizona this January. The weather was sunny and warm, and the desert was an ecologically fascinating place to bring a few hundred ecologists…

The scientific peer review system needs improvement. The goals of the system – to ensure that scientific work is technically accurate and contextualized – are important in building public trust in the work we do do. They also help to improve the quality and presentation of our work. However, peer review is slow and inefficient.…

It takes some time to feel at home in a new country, and to understand the rhythm of its landscapes. When I moved to England and began to explore outside of its cities, something would usually feel abnormal to me, like I was not in the kind of place I expected. It has taken almost…