Major Revisions

By Major Revisions

Natural Sciences Science & Medicine

What's Major Revisions about?

The world's greatest ecology and environmental sciences podcast

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Major Revisions episodes:

04.21.2022
MR076: Hot takes!
Jon and Jeff explore the utility of the "hot take." Should or can scientists be more provocative in how they frame their science or how they interact with the public? What are the advantages? Disadvantages? Who can even do this--hint,...
03.24.2022
MR075: Defining "early career" with Drs. Cristy Portales and Lauren Hallett
Jon and Jeff are joined by Drs. Cristy Portales and Lauren Hallett to talk about the nebulous concept of the "early career" scientist. When does "early career" start? When does it end? We discuss whether it is purely a concept...
03.18.2022
MR074: Theory for the Masses with Dr. Tess Grainger
Jon, Jeff, and guest co-host Tess Grainger talk about bridging the gap between ecological theorists and empiricists. Where are the challenges? What are the ways forward? What do we gain? Paper for discussion: Grainger et al. 2022 (https://tessgrainger.files.wordpress.com/2022/01/grainger-et-al.-2022-amnat.pdf)
03.11.2022
MR073: What Have We Changed Our Minds About?
Jon and Jeff address the absurdity of reviewing two articles a day, Jeff offers up a revolutionary idea for review papers, and both address whether they would or would not change any of the advice they have given out on...
03.07.2022
MR072: New Directions, Making Plans
Jon and Jeff are back and talking future directions and making plans--with a big announcement and a fair amount of navel-gazing
05.24.2021
MR071: Fraud and Fabrication
Grace, Jon, and Jeff discuss the potential occurrences and frequency of data fabrication and scientific fraud in ecology. Just how rare is rare? What is scientific fraud? How do we detect it and how do we prevent it?
05.15.2021
MR070: Revise and Resubmit
Grace, Jon, and Jeff reconvene still during the pandemic and talk about career changes, switching universities, what pandemic-induced changes they hope stick around, and whether giraffes are believable as animals.
05.15.2020
MR067: Basic and Applied Ecology
Grace, Jon, and Jeff talk about the beginnings of quarantine and then jump into the murky waters that are applied vs. basic ecology. Is there really a difference? Does it matter?
04.24.2020
MR066: Phosphorous, Publishing, and Existential Dread
Grace, Jon, and Jeff are talking the phosphorous cycle in part one of a multipart radio play about the often forgotten element cycle. The gang also revisit five questions, debate Chacos, and delve into a fascinating hypothetical scenario regarding publishing....
12.05.2019
MR065: Attending Your First Science Conference: An AGU 2019 Special
How does one prepare for their first major science conference? We brought along a ton of friends including Drs. Susan Cheng, Ben Bond-Lamberty, Alexey Shiklomanov, and other conference veterans Lisa Haber, Amy Hudson, and Bill Hammond to offer their tips....
10.04.2019
MR064: The (Hidden) Costs of Publishing
Grace, Jon, and Jeff talk about the hidden costs of publishing, referencing Josh Schimel's famous blog post on the subject. Where does open access and preprints fit into the current state and future of publishing? How would we alter the...
09.25.2019
MR063: Data is Sharing, Data is Caring, with Mike Pace
Grace and Jon sit down with Mike Pace from the University of Virginia to talk about data sharing and how the ecological data landscape has changed over the last couple of decades.
09.24.2019
MR062: Stats and Models
Grace, Jon, and Jeff recount some summer activities and talk about ESA2019, but the main focus of the show is talking about a recent Nature Communications op-ed on statistical vs. mathematical modeling.
09.23.2019
MR060: Ryan Emanuel
Jeff sits down with professor and ecohydrologist Ryan Emanuel from North Carolina State University to talk about crossovers in ecology and hydrology, introducing students to interdisciplinary work, and his work with American Indian/Indigenous communities. Ryan also gives us a big...
08.09.2019
MR059: Hobbie, 1992
Grace, Jon, and Jeff are back at it with Classic Ecology V: SE Hobbie's 1992 opus "Effects of plant species on nutrient cycling." The gang also talk about the experiment Jeff is apart of and debate, at length, nitrogen...
06.20.2019
MR058: The Plot Thickens
Jon and Jeff do a deep-dive into the PLOS: Computational Biology paper "Ten Simple Rules for Better Figures." This one is kind of nerdy, but at this point, isn't that what y'all want?
05.14.2019
MR057: Classic Ecology IV: Power, 1990
Grace, Jon, and Jeff do a round of Would You Rather? Academic Style and then follow up with a conversation about the quintessential paper Power 1990 "Effects of Fish in River Food Webs" as they jump back into the Classics...
04.19.2019
MR056: Real Ecosystems, Posters, and Spring Cleaning
Grace, Jon, and Jeff do some spring cleaning via the latest buzz from Twitter and the blogosphere including way-out-there poster designs, what constitutes a real ecosystem, comparing male-female ratios in publications, and how ecology programs are put together. Grace also...
03.13.2019
MR054: MMM 2019 Preview and The Trouble with Acronyms
Grace, Jon, and Jeff are talking March Mammal Madness 2019 ! Jeff questions dandelions, Jon goes all in on owls, Grace has speciation questions, and we are joined by friend of the podcast Bob, our local sea turtle and marine...
03.04.2019
MR053: March Mammal Madness 2019 Interview w/ Patrice Conners and Marc Kissel
Jeff and Jon sit down with Patrice Connors and Marc Kissel, two of the folks behind March Mammal Madness 2019 (#2019MMM). Marc and Patrice give us the behind the scenes, inside baseball look at the process of creating the narratives...
02.14.2019
MR052: Biodiversity, Neutral Theory, and Pillai and Gouhier, 2019
Grace, Jon, and Jeff tackle a recent paper in Ecology (Pillai and Gouhier, 2019) that claims that the "positive" effect of biodiversity on ecosystem functioning is vastly overstated. The gang talk about the background and context of the paper,...
02.06.2019
MR051: An Interview with Rob Nowicki
Jeff sits down with Rob Nowicki, a postdoctoral researcher at the Mote Marine Lab, to talk about how the scope of ecological research has changed over that past few decades, the differences between marine ecology and biology, living...
01.08.2019
MR050: 2018 in review
Grace, Jon, and Jeff bid a not-so-fond farewell to 2018. The gang talk about their favorite papers of the year, science low-lights, and their podcast resolutions for the upcoming year. And, to wrap up the year,...
01.03.2019
MR049: An Interview with Ben Cook
Dr. Ben Cook from NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies joins us on the show to talk about drought, the climate system, working across scales/disciplines, how we think about hazards, and his soon-to-be-released book. Ben is...
01.02.2019
MR048: An Interview with Kyla Dahlin
We welcome Dr. Kyla Dahlin from Michigan State University to the show. Kyla's research aims to better understand and quantify ecosystem processes and disturbance responses through the application of emerging technologies, including air- and space-borne remote...
12.21.2018
MR047: NSF Part Two
Grace, Jon, and Jeff continue the discussion about the NSF proposal process including ad hoc reviews, what panels are like, and how to prepare what you need in order to get funded. The gang also take stock of what...
12.12.2018
MR046 Mailbag One: Two Years and Counting
Grace, Jon, and Jeff celebrate two years of podcasting with a mailbag episode where we answer a slew of emails, questions, and follow-ups from the last few weeks on air including crowdfunding science, grants for early career folks, and why...
11.09.2018
MR045 Calling the Quantitative Ecologist
Jon and Jeff ask the age old question, when do the statistics get so wonky you call in the quants? The gang minus one talk about the trade-offs between learning new, powerful techniques and just collaborating with folks who have...
11.08.2018
MR044 NSF part one
Grace, Jon, and Jeff ive a primer on the funding mechanisms at the National Science Foundation (NSF) as well as recent changes that we are all thinking about it. The gang also lament poison ivy and chiggers while delivering a...
09.20.2018
MR043 An Interview with Atticus Stovall
Jon and Jeff interview Atticus Stovall of the University of Virginia, a lidar guru and all-around nice person, live from the top of a mountain at the University of Tennessee Biological Station near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Atticus...
09.20.2018
MR042 Field Sampling Bias and the IF Draft
Grace, Jon, and Jeff talk about a recent paper in Nature E & E on how sampling bias affects science and policy. The gang also tally the results of last year's Impact Factor draft (and it's not that close). Jon...
08.09.2018
MR041 Resources!
Grace, Jon, and Jeff talk about the new Resources page on the Major Revisions website as well as their own thoughts about what helped them get to where they are, at least the practical aspects. Lots of North Woods references,...
07.22.2018
MR040 Our Favorite Fictional Scientists
Grace, Jon, and Jeff talk about their favorite scientists from any form of fiction . . .with some big surprises. They also cover who they don't like so much, fewer surprises there. Also, grocery stores. To an alarming degree.
06.19.2018
MR039 The Culture of Ecology
Grace, Jon, and Jeff talk about recent op-eds in Nature and Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment on the culture of science and ecology in particular. How do we build strong lab culture? How do we think about and do...
05.25.2018
MR038 An Interview with Brady Hardiman
In episode 38 we welcome Brady Hardiman to the show! Brady is an Assistant Professor of Urban Ecology in the department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University (Go Boilermakers!). We talk about urban ecology, macrosystems, time management, mentorship,...
05.03.2018
MR037 Classic Ecology III: Gleason, 1926
Grace, Jon, and Jeff talk about the Gleason, 1926 classic, "The individualistic concept of the plant association" a real barn-burner of a piece that forms one of the foundational pieces of community ecology--despite its controversial reception at the time. The...
04.09.2018
MR036 Classic Ecology II: Lindeman, 1942
Grace, Jon, and Jeff keep the classics in ecology series going, this time with Raymond L. Lindeman's 1942 piece, "The Trophic-Dynamic Aspect of Ecology." This seminal piece not only codified the idea of the ecosystem, but features the famous (infamous?)...
03.14.2018
MR035 Classic Ecology I: Moran, 1953
Grace, Jon, and Jeff kick off a series delving into classic papers in ecology, leading off with P. A. P. Moran's classic paper "The statistical analysis of the Canadian Lynx Cycle II: Synchronization and Meteorology" which helped to launch...
03.05.2018
MR034 An interview with Caitlin MacKenzie
We talk to Caitlin MacKenzie, a postdoc at the University of Maine, about taking sediment cores from frozen lakes in Maine, what it's like to put together and deliver a TEDx talk on an 19th century botanist, surviving the snowscape...
02.26.2018
MR033 Getting Into Grad School 3: The Interview!
Grace, Jon, and Jeff jump into the murky and oddly shaped pool that is the world of the graduate school interview. We also go on a journey to find out what happened to Grace's phone, how scientists find love, and...
01.29.2018
MR032 Since I Was Young
Grace, Jon, and Jeff talk about #SinceIWasYoung.
01.29.2018
MR031 The Professor is In
Grace, Jon, and Jeff reconvene book club to chat about the Professor is In!
12.06.2017
MR030 How To Do Ecology?
Grace, Jon, and Jeff are back in book club this episode, talking about the book "How to do Ecology." The gang also talk about how academics and scientists spend their holidays.
11.27.2017
MR029 The 100 Papers Every Ecologist Should Read?
Grace, Jon, and Jeff jump right into the fray this week to talk about a recent, divisive article in Nature Ecology and Evolution about the papers every ecologist should be reading.
11.21.2017
MR028 The Impact Factor Draft
It is time for the inaugural Impact Factor Draft! Grace, Jon, and Jeff pick journals based on how they think the IF will change next year. Really it is just an excuse to talk about the landscape of ecological journals.
11.17.2017
MR027 One Year Anniversary
Grace, Jon, and Jeff revisit the first year of the podcast, including the most and least popular episodes--and we look forward to the future.
10.20.2017
MR026 Carbon, carbon, carbon!
Grace and Jeff, sans Jon, talk about some of the latest in carbon cycling research--terrestrial and aquatic! We also talk Jon's recent wedding, examine a new paper in Science focusing on the tropics, a great piece on science blogging, and...
10.20.2017
MR025 Difficult Conversations
Grace, Jon, and Jeff do a deep dive into having difficult conversations in the classroom around the current political and social climate and how to respond to situations in a thoughtful, and supportive manner.
09.15.2017
MR024 Making the Most Out of Grad School
Grace, Jon, and Jeff talk about how to get the most out of grad school including setting priorities, making friends with the smart people, thinking about it as a career, and whether classes "really" matter.
09.06.2017
MR023 Throwin' Shade
In our first banter-only episode, Grace, Jon, and Jeff talk about the eclipse, the comings and goings of the Ecological Society of America 2017 meeting in Portland, pre-registering ecology articles and studies, and the question of censorship of science.

What's Major Revisions about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Major Revisions episodes:

MR076: Hot takes!

MR075: Defining "early career" with Drs. Cristy Portales and Lauren Hallett

MR074: Theory for the Masses with Dr. Tess Grainger

MR073: What Have We Changed Our Minds About?

MR072: New Directions, Making Plans

MR071: Fraud and Fabrication

MR070: Revise and Resubmit

MR067: Basic and Applied Ecology

MR066: Phosphorous, Publishing, and Existential Dread

MR065: Attending Your First Science Conference: An AGU 2019 Special

MR064: The (Hidden) Costs of Publishing

MR063: Data is Sharing, Data is Caring, with Mike Pace

MR062: Stats and Models

MR060: Ryan Emanuel

MR059: Hobbie, 1992

MR058: The Plot Thickens

MR057: Classic Ecology IV: Power, 1990

MR056: Real Ecosystems, Posters, and Spring Cleaning

MR054: MMM 2019 Preview and The Trouble with Acronyms

MR053: March Mammal Madness 2019 Interview w/ Patrice Conners and Marc Kissel

MR052: Biodiversity, Neutral Theory, and Pillai and Gouhier, 2019

MR051: An Interview with Rob Nowicki

MR050: 2018 in review

MR049: An Interview with Ben Cook

MR048: An Interview with Kyla Dahlin

MR047: NSF Part Two

MR046 Mailbag One: Two Years and Counting

MR045 Calling the Quantitative Ecologist

MR044 NSF part one

MR043 An Interview with Atticus Stovall

MR042 Field Sampling Bias and the IF Draft

MR041 Resources!

MR040 Our Favorite Fictional Scientists

MR039 The Culture of Ecology

MR038 An Interview with Brady Hardiman

MR037 Classic Ecology III: Gleason, 1926

MR036 Classic Ecology II: Lindeman, 1942

MR035 Classic Ecology I: Moran, 1953

MR034 An interview with Caitlin MacKenzie

MR033 Getting Into Grad School 3: The Interview!

MR032 Since I Was Young

MR031 The Professor is In

MR030 How To Do Ecology?

MR029 The 100 Papers Every Ecologist Should Read?

MR028 The Impact Factor Draft

MR027 One Year Anniversary

MR026 Carbon, carbon, carbon!

MR025 Difficult Conversations

MR024 Making the Most Out of Grad School

MR023 Throwin' Shade