Life update

This past August, Ryan and I moved to Norfolk, VA where he is beginning his Ph.D. in marine biology at Old Dominion University. A few days after arriving here and finding an apartment, I was hired to teach marine biology and environmental science at one of the public high schools here in Norfolk. What has ensued has been one of the most emotionally challenging experiences of my life. 

Any teacher will tell you that your first year teaching full-time is a year from hell. This is true for many reasons, which I'll get into at a later date. In fact, I'll get into a lot of things at a later date. I have many thoughts and issues I'd like to discuss concerning teaching, our educational system, getting kids engaged in science (or in learning in general, for that matter), and so on. 

But first, I have one more semester to get through before I get to June. Wish me luck!

Another win from Colossal.

Updates have been few and far between, I know. Life has been beyond busy. More than I could ever imagine.

For now, here's an AWESOME collection of artwork made using diatoms, which are single-celled algae. They are beautiful little organisms that have a glassy outer "shell", so to speak, which gives them these cool geometric shapes.

Check it out!

This article was apparently published in September, but I didn't have time to notice it then. I just recently showed it to my marine biology class, and they thought it was pretty cool. More accurately, there were mixed looks of "what the what!?" and a lot of questions concerning how long the arrangements must have taken. There's a well-done little video accompanying the article that goes into the logistics of making these stunning pieces.

I just love it when science and art intersect. Here's a sample of the artwork by Klaus Kemp (and yes, each one of those little shapes is one cell, and the different shapes are different species of diatoms).