About
Cephalo-who?
Hi. I'm Danna Staaf, and I was into cephalopods before they were cool. Cephalopoda is the class of marine animals that includes squids, octopuses, cuttlefish, and the pearly nautilus. I fell in love with these intelligent, beautiful, mysterious creatures when I was about ten years old and never looked back. (Except when writing retrospectives like this, so . . . actually, I've looked back a lot.)
What is a cephalopodiatrist? Well, a malacologist studies molluscs, the group that includes cephalopods, but also snails, slugs, clams, and so much more. A teuthologist studies just squid. Many years ago, some of my friends were distressed by the obvious lack of a name for a person who studies all cephalopods--so they made one up. Cephalopodiatrist! It may be hard to pronounce and harder to spell, but I love it.
A more prosaic way of describing my profession is to say that I'm currently a PhD candidate in the Gilly lab at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station. I study the early life history and dispersal of the Humboldt squid. (Generally, I work with baby squid, which is why there aren't any big charismatic adults in the above photo.)
I married Anton the mad engineer in 2008 and decided to change my surname from Shulman to Staaf, but the internet hasn't quite caught up with me yet. You may see me elsewhere under either name, but rest assured I am the same person. Just, you know, married.
I love science education, outreach, and communication. If you ever need the services of an enthusiastic cephalopodiatrist, drop me a line: danna (at) cephalopodiatrist (dot) com. [Ed: this e-mail isn't working yet, so just leave a comment here to get in touch with me. I hope to get it up and running soon!]
Obligatory words of warning:
I alone am responsible for everything I write here. Nothing in this blog reflects the positions of Stanford, NSF, NOAA, or any other organization which may shelter or fund my squid-loving self. And though I gladly welcome commentary and discussion, I do have the right to delete and ban as I see fit. So there!
Hi. I'm Danna Staaf, and I was into cephalopods before they were cool. Cephalopoda is the class of marine animals that includes squids, octopuses, cuttlefish, and the pearly nautilus. I fell in love with these intelligent, beautiful, mysterious creatures when I was about ten years old and never looked back. (Except when writing retrospectives like this, so . . . actually, I've looked back a lot.)What is a cephalopodiatrist? Well, a malacologist studies molluscs, the group that includes cephalopods, but also snails, slugs, clams, and so much more. A teuthologist studies just squid. Many years ago, some of my friends were distressed by the obvious lack of a name for a person who studies all cephalopods--so they made one up. Cephalopodiatrist! It may be hard to pronounce and harder to spell, but I love it.
A more prosaic way of describing my profession is to say that I'm currently a PhD candidate in the Gilly lab at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station. I study the early life history and dispersal of the Humboldt squid. (Generally, I work with baby squid, which is why there aren't any big charismatic adults in the above photo.)
I married Anton the mad engineer in 2008 and decided to change my surname from Shulman to Staaf, but the internet hasn't quite caught up with me yet. You may see me elsewhere under either name, but rest assured I am the same person. Just, you know, married.
I love science education, outreach, and communication. If you ever need the services of an enthusiastic cephalopodiatrist, drop me a line: danna (at) cephalopodiatrist (dot) com. [Ed: this e-mail isn't working yet, so just leave a comment here to get in touch with me. I hope to get it up and running soon!]
Obligatory words of warning:
I alone am responsible for everything I write here. Nothing in this blog reflects the positions of Stanford, NSF, NOAA, or any other organization which may shelter or fund my squid-loving self. And though I gladly welcome commentary and discussion, I do have the right to delete and ban as I see fit. So there!
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