The Bahamas: A beach lovers writers retreat

So what do you do when you have lots of data, and need time to think, read, and write it all up?  Head to the office?  Noooo!  Move to the Bahamas for the summer of course!

After a full year so far of completing a comprehensive exam, collecting data in Labrador, Canada and Mafia, Tanzania and then heading out with my CFER (Centre for fisheries ecosystems research, http://www.mi.mun.ca/centre-for-fisheries-ecosystems-research/) office on a boat for a month for Cod surveys, I was ready to sit down and write.  Something that I need to get on with if I want to finish this PhD :)

Time to think, Lighthouse Beach, Eleuthera Bahamas

Luckily I was able to go back to the Bahamas, the place where I wrote my masters thesis and where I lived and worked for many years before starting this PhD.  This time to a new island, Eleuthera and to a new place, a wonderful research station and school.  My fiance (he proposed this summer on the beach!) has a lovely new job working at this amazing place full of teaching, science, research, diving etc. so, with a supportive supervisor who let me write outside the office, I headed out to join him.

Wow, what a place!  There is so much going on all of the time, and because it is bad for anyone to sit all day on a laptop, I also was able to help out from time to time assisting with field research and giving the odd talk/ seminar.  I have been very lucky to have helped out with scientists and interns working on a variety of projects from shark research and lionfish, through to flats and aquaculture research.  It has been great to join in and work with fellow marine sciency people, they have even had a UK group and a PhD group here.  Anyone wanting field research experience, or want to do masters/ PhD research should take a look at CEI.  Check out:  http://www.islandschool.org/ and http://www.ceibahamas.org/ 

Helping out with field research for the Cape Eleuthera Institute (CEI), Eleuthera, Bahamas.

 And now, with summer Pimms in hand, I have written the first draft of my research from Tanzania, planned out my IUCN knowledge Cafe and am getting ready for heading out again.  Oh, the airmiles will be good this year... (not my carbon footprint though, that will be rubbish!)