#TBT 16 yrs ago I was a PhD student at a conference. A huge name was there. I nervously went up to them after their talk. I introduced myself & told them about my upcoming talk. They came, then spent 45 min talking w me afterwards. It was a highlight and left an impression. 1/3

This wk, I got an email from them. They reached out to ask about using an unpublished figure of mine in their ecology class & had nice words about my work. I said yes, and told them about that interaction way back in 2005. Didn't know if they'd remember that was me. They did. 2/3

It made me think about how senior people can make such an impact on early career folks just with their time. And how it doesn't take much to be kind.

I'm always happy to talk with students at conferences & look forward to being able to meet people in person again someday. 3/3