The last stop of my trip was Tucson, Arizona. It's just over the border from Mexico, and is in the middle of the Sonoran desert.
I was in Tucson to visit the University of Arizona. At the U of A is the lab of Dr Noah Whiteman. I have been working with Noah on an interaction between ferns (Pteridium, bracken) and flies (Scaptodrosophila). Earlier this year, we collected both the ferns and flies along the east coast Australia (check out our blog). While I was in Tucson I tested some new lab techniques out on these ferns.
Me, Noah and Mark having brunch at a Mexican restaurant in Tucson.
I was also in Tucson to visit Dr Mark Beilstein's lab. Mark and I worked together while we were at Harvard. Mark is an expert of Brassicaceae (the mustard family) and we published a paper estimating the ages of the various members in the family.
And, I gave a seminar on my cycad and fern research to members of Mark's department, the School of Plant Sciences. Here's the announcement. It was a busy time!