Face-to-face interaction can benefit the establishment of new research collaborations, especially the early stages of relationship development with new colleagues. However, extended periods of travel are not possible for many individuals due to time constraints. In my case, the constraint was related to having a very young child. I'll discuss how this limitation influenced my experience as part of ASLO’s Limnology and Oceanography Research Exchange Program (LOREX), which was my first independently initiated international research endeavor.  I’ll reflect on what I learned, 1) initiating an international research collaboration through the LOREX program which involved developing a proposal and identifying a potential collaborator with which to work; 2) negotiating travel commitments with program leaders and with a new international colleague; and 3) making the most out of a relatively short in-person stay in at my collaborator’s research institute. I'll also touch on why the type of research I was conducting at the time facilitated a short-term research visit and challenges related to keeping project momentum rolling post visit. I hope to show that willingness to think outside the box, extensive planning coupled with prep-work, staying flexible and setting realistic goals can lead to successful short-period collaboration initiations. Spoiler alert… these are not all things I did successfully. However, working with an experienced collaborator who was flexible, enthusiastic, kind, and all around awesome led to an amazing learning, life, and research experience. 

Primary Presenter: Sierra Cagle, Texas A&M University Galveston (sec1414@tamu.edu)

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