More than 6 years ago, I organized a collecting trip to Japan as part of an NSF-funded Tree of Life project on Cnidaria (jellyfish, corals and kin). We blogged about it at the time. It was only five weeks of fun and discovery, but I find myself musing about how many ongoing impacts it is having on my career and life as an invertebrate zoologist.
A volunteer, Cheryl Lewis, has become my PhD student and all around great collaborator (not to mention karaoke inspiration).
The desk next to mine is occupied by Lucília Souza Miranda, the PhD student of a Brazilian collaborator who participated in the trip, Antonio Carlos Marques.
Lucília and I are actively working with Yakko Hirano, who hosted us on our visit to Hokkaido, and who just happens to be the world's most renowned researcher of Staurozoa.
I just received samples (in my freezer awaiting genetic analysis) from our main host, the famous Shin Kubota.
And I have trouble keeping up with my son's demands for sushi and nori.
For me, the funds to support that excursion to Japan has been a gift that keeps giving.
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