… without getting anywhere!

I am working on some very interesting global models now, bringing together all the data from our colleagues in mountain regions all over the world. I aim to bring together all this data to make maps of the distribution of our invasive plants over the world.

It allows me to hop easily from Norway to Hawaii, from Australia to Chile, from Yellowstone to Switzerland. It is nice travelling to all these places, without the burden of taking the plane…

Okay, okay, I admit, not as good as actually being there, but it stays nice to keep the research broader than just my own little village. The patterns we find and will find, are true on a large scale, and that is increasingly important in science.

On the same note: I travelled to India, yet also without getting anywhere. There is a big (the biggest outside of India) Jain temple in Wilrijk, the place where I work, and in the evening sun it looked perfectly suited for every travel website. It took me only a quick stop on my way home, but it gave the real feel of India.