The future of aquatic science will be built on the connections we make today. This special session is a platform for early-career researchers (ECRs) to share and explore meaningful strategies for collaboration, an important tool to boost career development, and to highlight ongoing society programs designed to support ECRs’ growth within the aquatic sciences. Jointly organized by members of the ECR networks of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), the International Society of Limnology (SIL), and the European Federation for Freshwater Sciences (EFFS-EFYR), the session highlights the active role that ECRs currently play in shaping the direction of aquatic sciences while brewing a culture for academic collaboration amidst a climate of uncertainty. We will also showcase existing society programs that facilitate these exchanges and provide structure for sustained skill building and career development. By sharing the experiences of ECRs who have participated in collaborative projects, we aim to inspire future collaborations among the next generation of aquatic scientists and help them build their careers. ECRs face challenges such as job insecurity, career planning, and mental health pressures. In addition, research collaborations are increasingly international, meaning ECRs must learn how to communicate with scientists in other countries, obtain funding for international work, overcome technical obstacles such as shipping and permits, and navigate language and cultural barriers. Besides advancing science, collaboration also provides valuable networks and mutual support for ECRs to tackle these challenges.
This session welcomes presentations that showcase any form of collaboration by ECRs. We will consider established, formal programs for ECRs such as the LOREX program (ASLO Limnology and Oceanography Exchange) or FreshProjects (collaborative ECR projects organized by EFFS-EFYR in Europe) and especially encourage unconventional or bottom-up approaches that innovate ways of working together. Such approaches may include, but are not limited to, literature or data syntheses, experimental approaches, or coordinated fieldwork studies.
Lead Organizer: Benjamin Misteli, WasserCluster Lunz (benjamin.misteli@wcl.ac.at)
Co-organizers:
Alia Benedict, University of Minnesota (bened109@umn.edu)
Pascal Bodmer, Cornell University (pb577@cornell.edu)
Bruno Cremella, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche (runocremella@gmail.com)
Brittany Schieler, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (communications@aslo.org)
Adina Paytan, University of California Santa Cruz (apaytan@ucsc.edu)
Susanne Menden-Deuer, University of Rhode Island (smenden@uri.edu)
Presentations
11:00 AM
Antrelle's Declassified LOREX Survival Guide: the realities of adapting - AGAIN, through the LOREX "UNICORN" lens (10246)
Primary Presenter: Antrelle Clark, Auburn University (antrelleclark@gmail.com)
Life is all about having a backup plan for the backup plan, which is no different in graduate school. Graduate school is a place where students often only have opportunities through their primary institution, something a group of PhDs experienced firsthand and recognized as a problem. That’s why they created the Limnology and Oceanography Research EXchange (LOREX) program. In Summer 2023, I had the opportunity to participate in my first LOREX exchange (cohort three), which, research-wise, didn’t go so well. A lot of unexpected anomalies impacted my project, and I had to start thinking about a backup plan. That’s when I first started to realize that even the smallest things may require a Plan B or C-Z. Originally, I was awarded a second LOREX grant to go back in Summer 2024 as part of cohort four, but those plans changed, marking another shift in primary direction. Simultaneously, my research at my home institution completely changed too, requiring me to learn a whole new set of skills and work with a different model organism for my dissertation. That shift not only impacted my dissertation work, but also my research focus and the questions I planned to bring into the LOREX program, and for a while, I was unsure of which direction to go. Eventually, I was able to participate in my second LOREX exchange with cohort five during Summer 2025. Of course, there were bumps in the road where backup plans had to be created on the fly almost every day as we started to figure out what worked, what didn’t, what was efficient, and how to adjust things to still get the data we needed in such a short amount of time. Do you see where I’m going with this? Somewhere along the way, I realized that I wasn’t just navigating challenges. I was constantly adapting in ways that made my path look very different from everyone else’s, which eventually led to my nickname: the “UNICORN” of the LOREX program. This talk will highlight the never-ending cycle of adapting on the fly in dissertation research and international collaborative science, which is applicable to any aspect of life. If you don’t remember anything from my presentation, just remember one word, or a synonym of it: “adaptability” and that “it is better to be overprepared than underprepared.
11:00 AM
FIELD NOTES FROM SWEDEN: PERSPECTIVES ON INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION THROUGH ASLO’S LOREX PROGRAM (11370)
Primary Presenter: Megan Berberich, Michigan Technological University (meberber@mtu.edu)
Science is an increasingly cooperative endeavor, and opportunities to engage in collaborative research benefit early career researchers in numerous measurable and intangible ways. Some of these benefits include expanding collaborative skills and networks, learning new scientific techniques, and broadening perspectives. During the summer of 2025, I participated in the ASLO LOREX program, where I traveled to northern Sweden to investigate methane and carbon dioxide dynamics in boreal headwater streams in the Krycklan Catchment Study. While there, I learned field techniques to sample stream hyporheic water, traveled to southern Sweden to attend a class on the analysis of dissolved organic matter, spent many hours outdoors sampling in the field and exploring Umeå, and met other international researchers. This experience differed from previous multi-year collaborative projects I have been involved with in that it involved initiating a partnership, traveling internationally, and executing the project on a short timeline. I found that the ability and willingness be flexible with plans and timelines were helpful leading up to and during the two-months in Sweden. Overall, learning about and studying a new system, conducting research in a different country, and working and engaging with new people was a rewarding experience both personally and scientifically.
11:00 AM
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE TO MONTRÉAL: INSIGHTS INTO MY LOREX EXPERIENCE (11456)
Primary Presenter: Ellie Socha, Cornell University (elliesocha@gmail.com)
Last year, I participated in the ASLO Limnology and Oceanography Research Exchange (LOREX) program, and completed my exchange in Dr. Jean-François Lapierre’s lab at the Université de Montréal from July through August 2025. Through this opportunity, I gained so many invaluable experiences and new perspectives both as a scientist and global citizen. In this poster, I'll highlight my experience in travelling internationally, moving samples across a border crossing, being welcomed into the lab, and learning a new lab technique where most SOPs are written in a language I don’t speak! I will also explore my journey in adjusting to a huge metropolitan area, my personal highs and lows, and my do-it-again ASLO 2026 bucket list as I return to Montréal!
11:00 AM
From Pharmaceuticals to Friendships: What I Gained Through International Collaboration (10646)
Primary Presenter: Camille Demaire, Florida International University (cdema020@fiu.edu)
My LOREX exchange in Sweden reminded me that research is only one part of what makes a scientific experience meaningful. I spent the summer working with Dr. Tomas Brodin’s group at Umeå University and SLU, running experiments on how pharmaceuticals influence the behavior and physiology of damselfly larvae. The scientific side of the exchange taught me new techniques, new perspectives, and new approaches to aquatic ecotoxicology. These experiences directly strengthened my ongoing PhD work at Florida International University, where I examine pharmaceutical contamination in Biscayne Bay seagrass ecosystems and its transfer to higher trophic levels. But more than the research itself, what made the biggest impact on me were the people and the moments we shared outside the lab. I connected with my labmates through hikes in the Swedish wilderness, visits to salmon hatcheries, and casual outings that helped me learn more about local culture and fisheries research. Celebrating Midsommar together was one of those memorable experiences that made the summer feel fuller. These shared moments helped turn professional relationships into friendships. In this presentation, I’ll reflect on how the LOREX program strengthened not only my scientific skills, but also my sense of community and collaboration as an early-career aquatic scientist. My exchange showed me that the most meaningful growth often comes from both the science and the shared experiences that surround it.
11:00 AM
International and Citizen Collaboration Reveals Unexpected Biodiversity of Sea Slugs (10897)
Primary Presenter: Roberto Ponce, California State University, Los Angeles (poncer.8575@gmail.com)
DNA barcoding and large-scale surveys incorporating citizen science reveal a striking underestimation of marine biodiversity. Many species harbor cryptic lineages. This knowledge gap complicates ecological research, hinders conservation, and challenges early-career researchers, often lacking access to international materials for species discovery. Sea slugs are a hyperdiverse gastropod group whose similar morphology masks genetically distinct lineages, often treated as a single taxon. Resolving this diversity requires global collaboration. Molecular work suggests that Ercolania Trinchese, 1872, is polyphyletic and historically a wastebin taxon, grouping unrelated lineages, requiring a complete taxonomic revision. This project relies on global collaboration to obtain specimens and conduct morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic analyses. Specimens came from museum collections, university collections shared by colleagues, expeditions sponsored by France and New Caledonia, and citizen scientist contributions. This combined effort yielded over 30 undescribed taxa, especially from the South Pacific, resurrected forgotten species, and at least three new candidate genera. Despite global collaboration, strict regulations and complex international permits still limit specimen access for students learning systematics. Support for programs like ASLO LOREX is essential; they provide early-career scientists access to otherwise inaccessible field sites and resources, enabling participation in global research and advancing our understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem function.
11:00 AM
Collaborate early and often: Key advice for building your scientific network (10479)
Primary Presenter: Abby Webster, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (abwebste@syr.edu)
We have all heard it before – it’s about who you know, not necessarily what you know. Building your network is one of the most valuable things you can do early in your career, but it is also one that comes without much instruction. My PhD advisor told me early on that attending conferences and being involved in different societies would be one of the best things I could do to begin to build that network. She was absolutely right, but beyond meeting people in your field was the next hard step: finding ways to work together. As a student, this can feel really intimidating, but I realized that it was actually the best time to start. My experience participating in ASLO’s Graduate Research Exchange Program (LOREX) was transformative in the sense that I was collaborating with other researchers on my own for the first time. It brought fresh perspective, new ideas, and resulted in important findings in my PhD. These experiences are critical early in our careers, and the value of gained confidence in a collaborative setting cannot be understated. The field of aquatic sciences bridges disciplines and borders, and it is important that we approach our research similarly. This presentation will include what I have learned throughout my PhD about building my network from conferences, choosing collaborators, and working with scientists outside of academia, and will also highlight my ongoing collaboration with researchers in Australia that stemmed from the ASLO LOREX program.
11:00 AM
BUILDING BRIDGES TO BROADEN PARTICIPATION: LEVERAGING C-COMP STRUCTURES AND RESOURCES TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES TO “TRY ON” RESEARCH CAREERS IN THE OCEAN SCIENCES (11179)
Primary Presenter: Victoria Centurino, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (victoria.centurino@whoi.edu)
Improving the transition to graduate school is a top priority recognized by the National Academy of Sciences for broadening participation in the STEM workforce. C-CoMP education initiatives broaden participation and the inclusion of diverse perspectives and backgrounds in the ocean sciences, focusing on key transition points where students may be excluded from science, especially those having fewer opportunities to engage in STEM education ‘upstream’ of the transition. At the crucial point between undergraduate and graduate education, we established the Bridge-to-PhD Fellowship Program (B2P) to provide diverse cohorts of Fellows opportunities to explore research interests, gain knowledge and skills, and experience interdisciplinary research before committing to a research-based ocean science graduate program. B2P Fellows embed in C-CoMP research groups, matching their scientific interests with PI interests, and develop their own research projects while also advancing C-CoMP’s scientific mission through cohort-based collaborative research and field research at sea. During the two-year fellowship, B2P Fellows develop strong relationships with their mentors in their research groups and in the wider C-CoMP community. In addition, B2P Fellows engage in professional development, including building skills applicable to applying for fellowships and graduate programs, conducting research ethically, and communicating science, and collaborate on outreach activities. Here, the theory of change, design, initial evaluation and outcomes, and future directions of B2P will be presented.
11:00 AM
Macrophyte Mondays: A network for students and early-career researchers (10762)
Primary Presenter: Lindsay Trottier, McGill University (lindsay.trottier@gmail.com)
Students and early-career researchers (ECRs) studying macrophytes often find themselves isolated within their institutions, lacking local peers with similar research interests. To address this, we established Macrophyte Mondays, a global online network that connects undergraduates, master’s students, PhD students, and postdocs with a shared passion for macrophyte research. This initiative emerged following the 16th International Aquatic Plant Group (IAPG) conference in Antwerp, Belgium, where a group of students and ECRs created a mailing list to foster collaboration and support. Since then, we have organized semi-annual virtual meetings, each attended by 15–20 researchers worldwide. These meetings provide a platform for participants to present their work through short talks, discuss recent papers and projects, and engage in open scientific dialogue. The enthusiastic and collaborative atmosphere enhances knowledge exchange and professional development, helping students and ECRs navigate the challenges of their academic careers and begin to establish their own research networks. By presenting this initiative at the ASLO-SIL conference, we aim to raise awareness of the Macrophyte Mondays group and encourage broader participation by students and postdocs with an interest in macrophytes. We invite interested students and ECRs to join our growing network, strengthening connections within the macrophyte research community.
11:00 AM
LOREX: Laying Down the Foundation for International Collaboration (12101)
Primary Presenter: Alexis Berger, George Mason University (aberge2@gmu.edu)
ASLO’s Limnology and Oceanography Research Exchange (LOREX) program has given me a chance to grow and learn about the intricacies and complexities of collaborative international research. Navigating collaborations is hard enough as graduate student, but throw in “international” and it’s a whole other ball game. LOREX taught me what it means to adapt on the fly, be flexible with research ideas, shifting timelines, accommodation obstacles, and how to integrate in new laboratory settings. My exchange with Dalhousie University stoked a passion for a new topic, forged new relationships, and equipped me with the skills to secure an international collaborative postdoctoral fellowship. This presentation will highlight those opportunities and skills that LOREX has provided in navigating international collaboration, from identifying collaborators and executing projects to adjusting to last minute plans, and how it set me up for my international postdoctoral fellowship.
EP010P Sharing Experiences Among Early-Career Researchers in Aquatic Science: Unleashing the Power of Collaboration
Description
Time: 11:00 AM
Date: 14/5/2026
Room: 517C