Deep-sea ecology, McClain Lab phd student, M.S. from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, crab enthusiast, 🏳️‍🌈https://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3mrw46qsgj22dFast and frequent public transportation, you will always be famous31 Jul 2026 04:22 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrw46qsgj22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3mbg2ktxhok2gMy 2025 New Year's resolution was to pet 100 animals. As I am a quantitative ecologist and spreadsheet enthusiast, I tracked my data somewhat obsessively - here are my results: 105 animals petted (85 dogs, 16 cats, 4 stingrays) Best day: August 16 with 18 dogs at the farmers market02 Jan 2026 04:27 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3mbg2ktxhok2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3m3r4lcnfq22hDespite everything we still live in a world where it is possible to see shooting stars and flying fish at the same time and I think that's wonderful (also I need everyone to know I just saw shooting stars and flying fish at the same time)22 Oct 2025 05:31 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3r4lcnfq22hhttps://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3lrwewm66ak2mUsually, I'm outside a tank looking in at snails. Today, the snails were outside the lab, looking in at me19 Jun 2025 01:32 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3lrwewm66ak2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3lp7wojawik2sDissertation chapter 1 with @drcraigmc.bsky.social ✅️ Here is a first look at the wreckage of the Deepwater Horizon as artificial hard substrate, which hosts a unique community of organisms compared to two other shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps1484615 May 2025 16:28 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3lp7wojawik2shttps://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3lo26coeanc27In honor of #invertefest, here are four of my whiteboard drawings from the invertebrate zoology lab this semester30 Apr 2025 16:04 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3lo26coeanc27https://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3lmdmo7mbn22nI love #SkypeAScientist!!! Nothing brings me more joy than showing a bunch of high schoolers a giant isopod and seeing them lose it over how big they get08 Apr 2025 23:24 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3lmdmo7mbn22nhttps://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3llwmkvnub22bIn the immortal words of Sabrina Carpenter: I can do a lot in 15 minutes. Thanks to everyone who came to my talk at the Benthic Ecology Meeting!03 Apr 2025 19:18 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3llwmkvnub22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3lkqqhqu3ds2bPeople are so ready to help you when they think you're opening a metaphorical can of worms, but when I show up with annelid specimens for class that I can't get open suddenly I'm the weird one19 Mar 2025 17:46 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3lkqqhqu3ds2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3lirryzq2bk2cI highly recommend judging a science fair. These kids with their enthusiasm and trifold boards made being a scientist under the current administration SO much more bearable today22 Feb 2025 16:56 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3lirryzq2bk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3lhh47htkj22zDo you think people can tell that I'm teaching #cnidarians today05 Feb 2025 17:34 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhh47htkj22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3lfvh7liizk2gLesson planning, aka making sure I have earrings for every phylum I will be teaching in my invertebrate zoology lab this semester16 Jan 2025 23:38 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3lfvh7liizk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3lfr4jxo5yc2wThe aromatherapy candle I bought because it promised peace and relaxation just exploded at midnight the night before the new semester begins. An omen of only good things, I'm sure.15 Jan 2025 06:16 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3lfr4jxo5yc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3letsbkzsvc23Deeply enamored with the sea turtles on Kauai03 Jan 2025 14:26 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3letsbkzsvc23https://bsky.app/profile/sydneymcdermott.bsky.social/post/3le45cmgivs2cConversations my parents probably didn't anticipate having with me at both age 5 and age 25: "What do you have?" "A CRAB!" Anyways, Merry #Crustmas to those who celebrate25 Dec 2024 04:39 +0000at://did:plc:ozpkeocqmvdlfvmcb5ppgdud/app.bsky.feed.post/3le45cmgivs2c