We’re gearing up for China.  For such a long stint abroad there are many ducks we have to get in a row: visas, apartments to live in, and research equipment to buy and ship.  We just bought our plan tickets which is always the first, and most exciting, step in the travel process.  It makes the whole trip more real. Ya’an, China here we come . . . in five months!

We are in the process of approving the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the San Diego Zoo, Oregon Zoo, Portland State University, and the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda.  It’s exciting to be part of a project with so many major players but it also means lots more paper work.  We are also getting the IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee) paper work filled out for each institute.  This means that Meghan will be busy with forms for the next week.

Being a scientist isn’t all fun and cool photo ops like the one above!