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This summer, I had the opportunity to work with pHd student Karina Johnston on her research revolving around the purpose of sand dunes in sea level rise, ecosystem services, and how sand grain size factors into the creation of these dunes. This research was done through drone analysis of beach topography over time, vegetation diversity over time, concentration of vegetation over time, and measurements of individual sand grain size. By working with Karina on her research project I gained insight into how professionals can network with those in their field. Behind the scenes, Karina was constantly working with peers, coordinating logistics to facilitate meetings and field surveys all up and down the coast of California. She employed the help of peers with drones so that they could put their expertise to work. She also taught me how to use resources like Sandsnap, which makes it possible for us to measure sand grain size using coins (pictured above). It was interesting to see the use of the scientific method to keep variables constant as we measured vegetation on dunes: we followed careful procedures to keep data collection consistent for the duration of the research project. During our field survey I was happy to be given a glimpse into how sciences I have been studying can be applied to real life projects.