#HerScience

HER SCIENCE

- Alis Propriis Volat -

Her Science blog is a collection of my experiences, adventures, and inspirations as a woman in science. Beginning with my formative years as a girl who liked to count ants to a Marie Curie Research Fellow and avid lover of science. Grab a hot beverage and journey through remote jungles of the Amazon, into the microscopic world of a pollen grain, share my scientific inspirations and eureka moments as I delve into my newest research on fire in the Amazon, and reminisce my favorite scientific experiences.

A day in the office. Alter do Chão, Brazil.

S. Yoshi Maezumi

Jun 24, 2020
2 min

Project ISLANDER Funded! 2020-2021

ISLANDER: Island Sustainability: the Legacy of Anthropogenic and Natural Disturbance on Ecological Resources I am delighted to announce that our new project ISLANDER was recently jointly funded by the British Ecological Society and van Eeden Fonds. Caribbean ecosystems face social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities because they are small, isolated, and at the frontline of climate-induced sea-level rise and storm surge events. These environmental pressures are made w

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Scientific Communication: The elevator speech.

S. Yoshi Maezumi

Sep 1, 2019
2 min

Scientific Communication: The elevator speech.

One of the questions my PhD supervisor, Mitch Power used to ask all of his students was, "What's your elevator speech?" Basically, what is your 2 minute #MagnumOpus of #SciCom. The Mission: to convey to a captive elevator audience, what we do and why we went to University for 13-years to play with mud at the bottom of a lake, analyze 500-million year-old plant rocks, or collect layers of fossilized animal pee in 112 degree weather. All eyes on you: so tell me, why palaeoeco

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Jamaica Frontiers: Cave Deposits and Past Climate

S. Yoshi Maezumi

Aug 18, 2019
2 min

Jamaica Frontiers: Cave Deposits and Past Climate

"Now I know there is beauty in darkness." -Persophone There are over 1000 documented caves in Jamaica. In my year exploring these caves, led by cave experts Jan Paule and Stefan Stewart of the Jamaica Cave Organization, I visited less that 0.004% of them. Caves hav

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S. Yoshi Maezumi

Aug 14, 2019
2 min

The Life of an Academic Nomad

"The root of suffering is attachment." -The Buddha On this day August 14th 1983, I was born in Hollywood, California to Martha and Hakuyu Taizan Maezumi Roshi. I spent the first few years of my life living at the Zen Center of Los Angeles. Since those early years, I have become an Academic Nomad, living around the world in Italy, England, Jamaica and have just recently relocated to Amsterdam to begin a new Marie Curie Research Fellowship at the University of Amsterdam. I have

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Jamaica Frontiers: Archaeologists Don't Dig Dinosaurs!

S. Yoshi Maezumi

Aug 11, 2019
2 min

Jamaica Frontiers: Archaeologists Don't Dig Dinosaurs!

Before I found my way to the wonderful world of Palaeoecology, I spent a considerable amount of time studying Archaeology, obtaining both my Bachelors and Masters degrees in Archaeology. I have participated in archaeological excavations in Jordan, Spain, Italy, Guatemala, Brazil, Bolivia, and America. Although many people have heard of Archaeology, it is always surprising to me the misconceptions that surround the discipline. One of the most ingrained notions is that Archaeo

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S. Yoshi Maezumi

Jul 15, 2018
3 min

Reflections of an English Summer

"You can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle three things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights" -Maya Angelou On August 1st, 2018, I will start my new 1-year lectureship position at the University of the West Indies, Mona in Jamaica. I am excited to be teaching courses including Earth Environments, Environmental Change, and Climate Change in the Tropics. While I am there, I will also be developing a new research project with Dr. Mike Burn

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Oh the Places You'll Go: Part 3 Cleopatra Queen of the Nile

S. Yoshi Maezumi

May 14, 2018
2 min

Oh the Places You'll Go: Part 3 Cleopatra Queen of the Nile

"Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness.” -Oprah Winfrey When last we met, I was turning 21 floating down the Nile on a felucca and had just confirmed my distaste for Cuban cigars. As we continued sailing our way towards Alexandria, I couldn't help but remember my Grandmother’s stories of Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile. I was about 5 years old when Grandma first told me the story of the enchanting young queen who wooed

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S. Yoshi Maezumi

Feb 18, 2018
3 min

Oh the Places You'll Go...

"...you're off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting so... get on your way!" -Dr. Seuss If you made it this far in life without reading Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Suess, take a moment and have a listen. You are missing out on one of the great adventure guides of the 20th century (at least in this humble globe trotters opinion). One of my best friends gave me a copy when I finished my PhD and I still get a bit misty eyed every time I read it. The p

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S. Yoshi Maezumi

Feb 11, 2018
3 min

How I became a woman in science

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” ― Jane Goodall Today, February, 11th is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. In honor of our special day, I wanted to share my story of how I became a woman in science. My mom has a Masters degree in Anthropology and always encouraged me to get a good education. At a very early age, she began cultivating a reverence for smart, independent female scientists i

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S. Yoshi Maezumi

Feb 4, 2018
2 min

Love what you do

If I had to identify one of the qualities that got me where I am today, although it might be a bit cliché, it would be that I am hard working. I am not just referring to the academic sense, I got my first job when I was 13. This was not because child labor laws were particularly lax in my hometown (yes, I needed parent permission to work 10 hours a week after school and weekends), but because working gave me a sense of autonomy and purpose. In my experience, when you love wh

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