Thoughts on QUBS

Nearly everyone that spends time at QUBS comes away with an attachment to the place. Perhaps that is why many of the same faces return year after year (in some cases decade after decade). Here is a collection of quotes from current and former students, reflecting the (generally) positive feelings about their experience at QUBS:

"I spent 3 glorious field seasons at QUBS working on avian research projects. Right from my first season, I became enthralled with avian research and quickly absorbed all my field assistant training. But QUBS offered me much more than this. Being immersed in an environment of passionate field ecologists studying a myriad of taxa, I was also exposed to the intriguing world of simply observing natural phenomena, in all shapes and sizes, of all patterns and processes. My love for field ecology continues unabated to this day. Just a few field seasons at QUBS has been tremendously inspirational. I must admit, every summer I am still struck by QUBS withdrawal symptoms: oh, if only I could be a field assistant again!" - Dev Aiama

"QUBS used to be a great time, but now none of the cooks will make me chocolate chip pancakes on Sundays. Now QUBS is purely science. Thank goodness science is fun." - Tim Hain

"QUBS is more than a location; it is a state of mind/experience/way of life. It is the only place on Earth where repulsive subjects such as parasite load in fish excrement, taxidermy, predated bird nestlings, floating dead deer, the finding of muskrat skulls, and the smell of neoprene and urine can be openly discussed and debated over dinner and not have anyone offended." - Caleb Hasler

"Best surprise birthday party ever: Chocolate cake, party hats, streamers, and beverages - all at 8am in the middle of the forest! Only at QUBS." - Matt Reudink

"QUBS is a great place to do field work, particularly during the winter. There is a startling amount of life in the snowy forests and on the lake that makes you feel that winter is a great season to be outside in. There's nothing quite like spending the day outside watching chickadees and then going for a nice cross-country ski on Opinicon Lake." - Jenn Foote

"Without QUBS I would have ended my schooling with my undergraduate degree and never started my research career. I was unaware that someone would pay me money (albeit not very much!) to track through the woods looking for snakes. Now that this door has been open to me I spend my life trying to satisfy my curiosity and justify my herpetological hobby. I wouldn't have it any other way." - Jeff Row

"The best way that I can describe QUBS is 'summer camp for the geeky-science type'. Despite having a laid-back and relaxed feel to it, QUBS really gets the job done in terms of providing the perfect environment for some hard-core science. As an undergrad especially, it’s really neat to know that if I’m having trouble interpreting the paper that I’m reading, I can simply ask the author who happens to be sitting across the dining hall enjoying their second helping of tilapia. QUBS is definitely a place where I hope to spend a great deal of time in the future. So if you’re planning on coming up to the station next summer or any year after that, make sure to bring a baseball glove, a pair of slippers, and the expectation to enjoy a whole new way of life." - Ryan Germain