By Rosie Chapina and Jenna Robinson
Great leaders motivate and lead their teams to success; they instill inspiration and a feeling that things will never be the same. Great leaders are inclusive, insightful and trustworthy. All of these traits describe Bastiaan Ibelings. Bas attended his first Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) All Hands’ Meeting in 2008 in Norrtalje, Sweden. David Livingstone invited Bas to this GLEON meeting, and unbeknownst to him, to a change in his research forever. GLEON has changed the way Bas conducts science, the way he teaches students, and influenced his floating research station in Lake Geneva, léXPLORE. He feels so much gratitude for the professional friendships and collaborations that stemmed from GLEON. From 2017 to 2022, Bas served as co-chair of the GLEON Steering Committee. Bas was so excited to be part of such a great network and saw it as an opportunity to give back to the GLEON community.
We asked Bas how GLEON has changed since he started, and he mentioned “GLEON is not static. Lakes and high frequency sensors were the main focus and central to our vision. That is how the rest of the organizations saw GLEON in 2017; a high frequency centered network.” He elaborated on how the network has grown and broadened the science by including coordinated sampling, remote sensing, modeling, and community science into a much more inclusive network. He also mentioned that communicating GLEON’s updated message and vision is very important. Bas feels that the role of students, the GLEON Student Association (GSA), the Committee on inClusive Collaboration (CCC), and team science are GLEON strengths. “GLEON is a volunteer-based organization; volunteers are willing to invest time and effort because we care about GLEON,” he said. “Together we have made it grow, and as a grassroots organization, we have been able to sustain our growth.” He added, “GLEON relies on the willingness of volunteers to keep it going, and we have innovated our science.”
“GLEON offers so much such as workshops, leadership opportunities, collaborations, and something we should ask ourselves as members is ‘do we acknowledge GLEON in our papers?’” Bas emphasized. He mentioned that GLEON can work on expanding global representation, and noted that even though it is an effort that has always been discussed, it still needs attention. He elaborated on the challenge and noted that “increasing global representation is hard because there are barriers at different levels, and financials are just a part of it. If members do not attend a meeting, they miss the core of GLEON. There are also cultural and language barriers; there are ways to overcome these obstacles, like hosting virtual meetings and regional meetings as we have been doing.” When we asked Bas what advice he would give early career scientists, he mentioned, “Take advantage of the opportunities GLEON offers.” He added, “Take the opportunities, improve science, increase visibility, learn how to conduct modern science. GLEON is a place where you can learn team science; in GLEON, you keep learning.”
Bas’s favorite GLEON memories are centered around evening activities. He emphasized that the Halloween party hosted by the GSA at the Lake George meeting was by far one of his favorites, and that as a non-American, it was amazing to experience all of the Halloween festivities. “At the Sweden meeting we caught crayfish in the middle of the night and cooked them up while we sang songs from our own countries. It is also another memory I cherish,” he said. Bas mentioned that these types of memories bring you together, and nothing can replace them.
On behalf of the GLEON community we would like to thank you, Bas, for all the time and dedication you have given to GLEON. Your support, inspiration, and leadership are immeasurable.
WHAT’S THE MATTER?
“I served as your co-chair because GLEON matters to me
GLEON matters because we make it matter
GLEON matters because lakes matter
Lakes matter because they are full of water
(Water matters since life crawled out of it)
Freshwater matters even more since it is the 1%
One percentages matter because they are the minorities
Minorities matter because they generate diversity
Diversity matters since it promotes resilience
Resilience matters since it keeps us going, even when things are difficult
Difficulties matter because every cut just makes you stronger
Strength matters but only when you display weakness too
Weaknesses matter since they keep you humble
Humility matters because there are too many big mouths out there
Out there matters since that is where we find nature
Nature matters because it inspires us time and time again
Time matters since it is precious and over before you can even blink
Make minutes count, each one of them, step back, pause and think
Pausing matters, it lets your mind wander freely
Wandering matters since ideas seemingly come out of nowhere
Ideas matter since we need better ideas for better solutions
Solutions matter because we face way too many problems
Problems matter since they make us come together
Coming together matters since we are all part of communities
Communities matter because they are more than the sum of their populations
Populations matter, but all 1 trillion species and not just the one, the human
Humans matter, yet much less than we think, and only when we take responsibility
Responsibility matters since it changes what, where and with whom we act
Acting matters since things need to get done
Doing matters since I am done, now (as your co-chair).”— Bastiaan Ibelings From a speech at the GLEON 2022 All-Hands Meeting in Lake George, New York, USA.
About the Authors
Rosaura “Rosie” Chapina is a Ph.D. student at the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (Vermont, USA) and works with Dr. Jason Stockwell on Mysis research. Rosie is currently the chair of the GLEON Student Association.
Jenna Robinson is a Ph.D. candidate at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and works with Dr. Kevin Rose. She is co-chair of the GLEON Student Association.
