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My circuitous but fortuitous path to paleolimnology

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Abstract

I was thrilled to receive a Lifetime Achievement Medal at the 15th International Paleolimnology Symposium (IPS) in Bariloche, Argentina (2022). I will use this opportunity to tell the story of how I stumbled into the field of paleolimnology, a discipline I had not heard of until I entered graduate school. In retrospect, I feel extremely lucky to have been able to spend the last five decades addressing interesting paleoclimate/paleoenvironment questions. Furthermore, my research and teaching have taken me to many biologically fascinating and culturally intriguing places around the world. I will also use this forum to express my gratitude to the many mentors, colleagues, students, friends, and acquaintances with whom I have collaborated throughout my career. Whatever success I have enjoyed, I attribute to my good fortune in having been able to work with numerous talented and hard-working fellow scientists.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to John Smol for his thoughtful introduction during the “Lifer” awards presentations at the International Paleolimnology Association (IPA) symposium in Bariloche, Argentina, 27 November-1 December 2022. I am also grateful to John for inviting me to take on editorship of the Journal of Paleolimnology, and to Tom Whitmore for co-editing with me from 2008 to 2022. Thanks to my spouse, Pre-Columbian art historian and archaeoastronomer Susan Milbrath, who shares my interests in the Maya area and has joined me on numerous field adventures. Lastly, I am indebted to the many people, here at home and abroad, who have welcomed me and facilitated field work.

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  1. Department of Geological Sciences, Land Use and Environmental Change Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Mark Brenner

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MB wrote the manuscript and compiled the photos

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Brenner, M. My circuitous but fortuitous path to paleolimnology. J Paleolimnol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-024-00317-z

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