Sampling Expedition 12/05/2012 – 19/05/2012

Location: San Miguel, Azores.

In my opinion top science is a result of assembling teams of scientists with complementary expertise to apply their knowledge toward a common goal. Each individual brings a different perspective to the problem and the result is a swarm intelligence that has the amazing potential. For this project I was fortunate to assemble an extremely talented core team with collaborators in the UK and the Azores whose cumulative knowledge and talents stretched the expression ‘cross disciplinary to its limits’……let me introduce you to some of the characters that I have had the absolute pleasure to work with on this project.

Core Project Team:

Dr Peter Kille (Me- Cardiff University) – Environmental and functional genomics off camera

Prof A. John Morgan (Cardiff University) – Earthworm and cell biologist…..and the best invertebrate electron microscopist I know. 3rd from left at top

Prof Mike W. Bruford (Cardiff University) – Supreme conservation biologist and Phylogeographer. 4th in from left

Prof Mark Hodson (Reading so to be York University) – Soil Geochemist working at the earthworm soil interface. 2nd in from left

The Workers:

Luis Cuhna (NERC funded – University of the Azores/Cardiff University) – Volcanic Earthworm biologist 1st on left

Dr Marta Novo (Spanish Government funded) – Earthworm phylogeographer 4th

in from right

Collaborators:

Dr David Spurgeon (CEH, UK) – Invertebrate ecotoxicologist 3rd in from left

Prof Armindo dos Santos Rodriges (University of the Azores) – Biologist

Dr Fatima Viveiros (University of the Azores) – Volcanologist / Geological Hazards 1st bottom right)

Ms Catarina Silva (University of the Azores) – Volcanologist / Geological Hazards (speciality in radon) 2nd bottom right

Hugo Arruda (University of the Azores) – BSc student studying mitochrondial activity in worms from calderas 1st top right

Paulo Melo (Joca) (University of the Azores) – Drive, local guide 2nd top right