In her poem “What we want” Mary Oliver writes:
In a poem
people want
something fancy,
but even more
they want something
inexplicable
made plain,
easy to swallow—
not unlike a suddenly
harmonic passage
in an otherwise
difficult and sometimes dissonant
symphony—
even if it is only
for the moment
of hearing it.
This has become both one of my favorite poems, and my favorite concepts: the inexplicable made plain. Oliver writes of poetry, but isn’t this (shouldn’t this) be the goal of science as well?
Science is complicated; but only in so much as we strive to dissect parts of the natural world independently, and often fail to put the pieces back together again. It is in the putting back together that we ‘make plain’ the essence of nature, where we as storytellers are obligated to share with the world what we have uncovered. It is what I strive to do in my work professionally, and personally.
So, with that prelude, I invite you all to attend (virtually or in the flesh) my dissertation defense. On almost exactly the ten year anniversary of when I began studying humpback whales in Southeast Alaska I will present my doctoral dissertation. It will be technical (for me to pass it must be), but I will also make every effort to tell the story of my work once I have explained the pieces.
After? We will celebrate. I will hike with my pups (as I do most days). I will begin a new story…. but more on that to come.

Click the flier for streaming.
YES!
You’ve got this Miche.
So glad I get to be there, although virtually ❤
Love, Let
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So bummed to have missed this! Is there any way to watch/listen after the fact? I hope it went well!!
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There is! You can see the defense (well, hear it along with the slides) here:http://oregonstate.adobeconnect.com/pbp4g72f45x7/
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Yay, thank you!!
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Just finished listening — wonderful work!! You are an excellent communicator and I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation. Beautiful slides. Well thought out and organized. Your family, friends, and colleagues must be SO proud!! Congratulations on your ten year anniversary studying humpbacks, your in-depth and valuable 5-year Ph.D. research, and your job at Cornell! Best wishes and hope to cross paths in the future.
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Thank you so much for the kind words. It has been a nuanced and adventurous ride, and it means so much to me to know that this work is being heard. Best wishes to you!
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