Oops Award
It has become traditional for all the grad, honours students, field assistants working in or lab and their spouses/partners to have an annual social evening get together. Typically we share some slides of the exotic locations where we have been fortunate enough to do field work or travel to in the previous year. It gives everyone in the lab a much better appreciation for the variety of both the projects and field sites.
The highlight of the evening however, is the review of nominations and the subsequent vote about whom will receive the Oops Award for that particular year. This award arises from the best; of those goofs, screw-ups, mistakes etc. that inevitable arise when doing field work. It was first given out in 1994 to the now eminent Dr. Glenn Sutter who for 10 days called all the Sprague's pipit's he was studying, vesper sparrows. This slight error caused embarrassing moments for me and reems of paperwork for CWS for the banding permits. It was an easy mistake to make and had no long term consequences for PhD work, but as you might imagine, he took a bit of ribbing about it. Continuing on from that fine tradition, each year we make the award to that individual who has contributed the best oops! of the year. The stipulation is that the oops has no long-term negative implications for the recipient's research nor can there be any significant physical injury involved.
The highlight of the evening however, is the review of nominations and the subsequent vote about whom will receive the Oops Award for that particular year. This award arises from the best; of those goofs, screw-ups, mistakes etc. that inevitable arise when doing field work. It was first given out in 1994 to the now eminent Dr. Glenn Sutter who for 10 days called all the Sprague's pipit's he was studying, vesper sparrows. This slight error caused embarrassing moments for me and reems of paperwork for CWS for the banding permits. It was an easy mistake to make and had no long term consequences for PhD work, but as you might imagine, he took a bit of ribbing about it. Continuing on from that fine tradition, each year we make the award to that individual who has contributed the best oops! of the year. The stipulation is that the oops has no long-term negative implications for the recipient's research nor can there be any significant physical injury involved.
Past Oops Award Winners - Do note that some of these stories might have language that is objectionable to some :)
2023 - Emma Blanken, Siobhan Cunningham, Isabelle Secord, Luisa Weigand - The Running of the Bull
2022 - Luisa Weigand - Luisa Weigand vs. the Battle Creek
2021 - Kurt Samways - RTFM (read the manual)!
2020 - The Year 2020 - It knows what it did
2019 - Maria Hoflack Culebro - The case of the split pants
2018 - Eric Green - The Paprika Incident.
2017 - Erin Swerdfeger - The Tale of Elbow Grease.
2016 - Phil Rose - An inability to hire himself for a job he created
2015 - Mark Brigham - A lack of attention to detail.
2014 - Louis Gower - Brit freezing on a ledge (a self portrait).
2013 - Gabe Foley - Who cares about the truck, look its a Shrike!
2012 - Brandon Klug - The importance of spelling: NSERC application: details of the candidate promoting scientific pubic awareness.
2011 - Sarah Ludlow - Exploring for natural gas by digging a hole in a well pad with a truck.
2010 - No Award. Everything went perfectly.
2009 - Sam Skalak - Caught peeing by a movement camera.
2008 - Sam Skalak - Extending a helping hand to fugitives.
2007 - Jared Clarke - Locking himself in a -20 freezer.
2006 - Mark Brigham - (won his own award AGAIN) for having a squirrel trying to escape the anesthesia machine, run up his shorts in search of ...food Squirrel Sonnet.
2005 - Jackie Metheny - Sinking big red in Battle Creek and making the Mighty Ranger come to the rescue.
2004 - Mark Brigham (won his own award) for failing to invite his non-golfing female graduate students golfing
2003 - Kristen Kolar - Nothing like waking up a rancher at 2 am to help fix a truck that don't need fixin.
2002 - Daniela Rambaldini - An adjective strewn description of driving where no one should try to drive.
2001 - Jeff Lane - Off loading used beer in a public place under the watchful eye of the police.
2000 - Rolf Vinebrooke - Nose testing an electrical fence.
1999 - Darren Sleep - Dumping a GPS while having a dump.
1998 - Tyler Cobb - Sitting on a nest of fire ants.
1997 - Danna Schock - Sinking a trencher in a slough.
1996 - Chris Woods - Locking keys in vehicle resulting in a long unplanned walk.
1995 - Mark Graham - Failing to "run" rapids with a canoe full of gear.
1994 - Glenn Sutter - Mis-identifying Sprague's pipits.
Nominations that just missed winning include:
2023 - Emma Blanken, Siobhan Cunningham, Isabelle Secord, Luisa Weigand - The Running of the Bull
2022 - Luisa Weigand - Luisa Weigand vs. the Battle Creek
2021 - Kurt Samways - RTFM (read the manual)!
2020 - The Year 2020 - It knows what it did
2019 - Maria Hoflack Culebro - The case of the split pants
2018 - Eric Green - The Paprika Incident.
2017 - Erin Swerdfeger - The Tale of Elbow Grease.
2016 - Phil Rose - An inability to hire himself for a job he created
2015 - Mark Brigham - A lack of attention to detail.
2014 - Louis Gower - Brit freezing on a ledge (a self portrait).
2013 - Gabe Foley - Who cares about the truck, look its a Shrike!
2012 - Brandon Klug - The importance of spelling: NSERC application: details of the candidate promoting scientific pubic awareness.
2011 - Sarah Ludlow - Exploring for natural gas by digging a hole in a well pad with a truck.
2010 - No Award. Everything went perfectly.
2009 - Sam Skalak - Caught peeing by a movement camera.
2008 - Sam Skalak - Extending a helping hand to fugitives.
2007 - Jared Clarke - Locking himself in a -20 freezer.
2006 - Mark Brigham - (won his own award AGAIN) for having a squirrel trying to escape the anesthesia machine, run up his shorts in search of ...food Squirrel Sonnet.
2005 - Jackie Metheny - Sinking big red in Battle Creek and making the Mighty Ranger come to the rescue.
2004 - Mark Brigham (won his own award) for failing to invite his non-golfing female graduate students golfing
2003 - Kristen Kolar - Nothing like waking up a rancher at 2 am to help fix a truck that don't need fixin.
2002 - Daniela Rambaldini - An adjective strewn description of driving where no one should try to drive.
2001 - Jeff Lane - Off loading used beer in a public place under the watchful eye of the police.
2000 - Rolf Vinebrooke - Nose testing an electrical fence.
1999 - Darren Sleep - Dumping a GPS while having a dump.
1998 - Tyler Cobb - Sitting on a nest of fire ants.
1997 - Danna Schock - Sinking a trencher in a slough.
1996 - Chris Woods - Locking keys in vehicle resulting in a long unplanned walk.
1995 - Mark Graham - Failing to "run" rapids with a canoe full of gear.
1994 - Glenn Sutter - Mis-identifying Sprague's pipits.
Nominations that just missed winning include:
- Sending in a 2nd truck to get mired trying to help the first one that never should have gone there in the first place
- Splattering ones potential supervisor with mud from the spinning wheels of a submerged truck
- Loss of bladder control at the prospect of an important landowner meeting.
- After a bit too much hydrating, falling asleep and proceeding to "wash" one's laptop with the unconsumed beer.
- After spending much time and effort sterilizing mist nets to prevent the spread of WNS, leave them in the lab before driving 3+ hours to the field site.
- Almost being thrown out of Texas for netting in a state park without the appropriate permit (even though it was issued by Texas State Parks) while having an open beer in a dry park.
- Ascertaining the reproductive condition of a female bat and inadvertently squirting milk from a nipple right into ones mouth.
- Questioning a lab mate as to why a bed sheet was hanging in the lab to dry, then while taking it down discovering with horror that the material was your supervisors underwear.
- Sneaking up on an Island in the middle of the the night carefully only to spotlight "pelican" bushes
- Stuck on a rock in the middle of the night wondering why the canoe is going nowhere with the motor full on
- Leaving the bat detector in a classroom for 2 years after giving a talk there
- Clonking young people on wide streets with mist net poles hanging out of a parked truck
- Trying to get a marriage license with documents located 2000 km away with 8 hours to get 'em and 36 hours before the ceremony
- Assuming that "everyone" has the software to launch ibuttons while poised to implant them
- Spreading a "honey like" substance on the truck interior before a night out
- Different individual misidentifying Canada geese as both jack rabbits and deer
- Wrecking the security pad trying to get into CWS property
- Trying to film a roost emergence using a pole assembly manufactured by the Gumby Company
- Having to find a lost assistant with 2(!) dead lights "somewhere on a little hill" in Nettle and Briar-land
- Forgetting the advice to stay away from the shore and sinking a quad some good
- Breaking belts, missing exits, visiting the wrong province and running out of gas, all in one trip
- Distractions caused by nude sunbathing on public thoroughfares
- Driving on the rims of an ATV for considerable km's
- Donating gas to kleptomaniacs
- Running into a cougar while the pepper spray is in the truck
- Running over freshly radio-tagged birds with a truck
- Various and sundry mechanical failures at the worst of times
- "Losing" roost trees
- Pouring beer all over video cameras
- Reading the gauge to mean "gaining" gas
- Driving on a flat tire for 20 km
- Mist netting cars on roads where no one drives
- Getting stuck driving through the water filled ditch to avoid the puddle on the road
- Falling off ladders in attics
- Being chased out of rivers by man eating salmon
- Etching ones initials in the paint job of a truck
- Driving while asleep
- Results of "extra" rabies shots