Dispatches From The Field

1 July, 2003 -- Luke Dollar

Global Villages

Thanks to modern technology, our planet is getting smaller and smaller. It seems that nothing is as far away as it used to be.

Over the last few days, I've been presenting results of our research here in Madagascar at a conference in Minnesota.....except I've never left the Southern Hemisphere. All last week, I finished up a presentation for the Society for Conservation Biology Meetings. This past weekend, our research projects were represented in two different presentations - two hemispheres from where I now sit listening to the cry of a Madagascar Fish Eagle. How in the world can somebody be on opposite ends of the planet at the same time!?!

Actually, our team veterinarian and research collaborator, Dr. Julie Pomerantz (Cornell and Columbia Universities) has been back in the USA presenting for the both of us (Thanks, Julie!). Crossing continents, oceans, and bouncing off no fewer than three different satellites in the blink of an eye, the final drafts of our presentation flew from Madagascar to Duke almost instantaneously. My messages and attachments flew about as far across the planet as a message can go without getting closer to where they started. Anand Mishra, one of the people responsible for getting this webpage updates and edited for you (and Kimberley Marchant's fiancee), received them back in NC. He printed and shipped my presentation off to Julie, already on her way to Minnesota from her home in Manhattan with her own presentation in tow. 24 hours later, Julie was presenting and fielding questions about our collaborative projects half a world away from Madagascar.