It's Wednesday, which means I'm in my Gregor feels. I kind of want to throw shade at popular fanon takes on him, but instead, I'm just going to focus on Canon!Gregor, who is:

Kind

Brave

Resilient

Competent

Self-sacrificing

Funny

Smart

Badass

Loyal

Fine AF

The Secret Sauce for Environmental Downside Fixing

"Enough! Cut it with the prima donna nonsense. There is no 'I' in TEAM!" I can nonetheless see Mr. Stephensen railing at me and my rugby squad as we stood shivering within the rain and lined in mud, after being overwhelmed by a faculty we must always have trounced. "It's teamwork, collaboration that makes us mighty, better than the sum of our parts. We can always do better when we do it together." That's true in rugby, however is it true in science? My earliest heroes had been Gregor Mendel, Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, E.O. Wilson, Rachel Carson and Margaret Mead. All gave the impression to be loners, solitary strivers, mulling and fixing life's hardest issues, and doing so largely by themselves. What would they consider the rising requires extra collaborative science? Would they see worth in additional donor-funded efforts to convey individuals collectively from totally different disciplines and with totally different experience in makes an attempt to resolve the massive questions of right this moment and tomorrow? I agree with my rugby coach that collaboration is an efficient factor. However solely when it's based on a vital ingredient: a coalition of the prepared. Collaboration might be stunningly profitable when the elements search out each other and self-assemble to resolve a shared drawback. Even when a bunch varieties from dissimilar organizations with, at occasions, opposite agendas and methods of working, the willingness of group members to collaborate typically helps to bridge these variations. Sadly, collaborations are sometimes born of, or tried by way of, the alternative of willingness: drive. Too typically I've been topic to partnerships orchestrated to encourage collaboration, however luring the person elements collectively, largely towards their needs, can fail spectacularly to attain the hoped-for outcomes. There are fashions, nevertheless, that present how funding that permits collaborations of keen collaborators can produce exceptional outcomes. One such instance is the working-group mannequin pioneered by the Nationwide Heart for Ecological Evaluation and Synthesis (NCEAS) and which undergirds the Science for Nature and Folks Partnership (SNAPP), itself a collaborative initiative between NCEAS, Wildlife Conservation Society and The Nature Conservancy. Within the late 1990s an NCEAS working group self-assembled to develop a concept of marine reserves that used the very best out there science and mixed the pursuits and considerations of fishers and the fishing trade with these of the conservation group. This groundbreaking collaboration not solely resulted within the publication of 33 journal articles and one e-book, but in addition laid the muse for a major enlargement of the state of California's marine protected space community in 2007. Extra not too long ago, and thru SNAPP, a novel combination of specialists from universities, conservation NGOs, insurance coverage corporations and the Military Corps of Engineers got here collectively to raised perceive the function that pure coastal defenses, resembling wetlands and mangrove forests, play in defending individuals and property from storms, sea-level rise, and different pure hazards. By means of their teamwork, they calculated first-ever greenback values of those coastal habitats by way of the losses they will stop, and they're now influencing the best way world insurance coverage giants like Lloyd's of London are doing enterprise. Importantly, initiatives like SNAPP present the repeated interplay that collaborations of the prepared must coax every particular person out of their consolation zone to hear and be taught from one another. It's extremely unlikely that the outcomes these two collaborations generated might have been achieved by a solitary genius toiling alone in a garret. Supporting areas the place ladies and men with totally different ability units and experiences can determine on their very own to convene and synthesize their information and views in a fail-safe approach is each enjoyable and illuminating. I've been fortunate sufficient to take part in a number of SNAPP working teams, and it's typically stunning what these groups can conjure as much as remedy knotty issues. Possibly the best barrier to collaborations of the prepared will not be a scarcity of donor curiosity and assist. Relatively, it's siloed people who, by way of no fault of their very own, are unaware of individuals outdoors of their slender self-discipline with whom it could be enjoyable and fruitful to collaborate on fixing that difficult drawback over which they've been struggling. I'm one among these siloed people. One of many biggest threats to wildlife in Africa derives from so many individuals missing options for meals outdoors of searching and consuming wild animals. Fixing this, my very own difficult drawback, requires that I work with specialists in livestock, household diet and demand elasticity. However as an ecologist working to preserve nature, I do not naturally have telephone numbers in my contacts for professionals in poultry manufacturing or youngster well being. Although it was straightforward for me to determine the best organizations to attach with, it was no small activity to seek out the very best particular person inside every organization--another key ingredient to forming coalitions of the prepared. Fortunately, there are individuals like Heather Tallis on the Nature Conservancy who perceive how one can convey prepared individuals collectively. By means of the Bridge Collaborative, she helped me join with the best specialists at one among their daylong collaboration "cocktail parties," the place hopeful problem-solvers in conservation, meals manufacturing and household well being can mingle and discover kindred professionals. An open thoughts and the best connections might sound so easy and maybe a bit trite, however they're arguably undervalued elements in efficient collaborations. By means of efforts just like the Bridge Collaborative and SNAPP, prepared collaborators have vital venues to seek out each other and prepare dinner that magic sauce we'd like for environmental drawback fixing. Read the full article

Scotland v Fiji: Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell & Greig Laidlaw return; Sam Skinner handed debut

Scotland v Fiji: Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell & Greig Laidlaw return; Sam Skinner handed debut

Scotland v Fiji: Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell & Greig Laidlaw return; Sam Skinner handed debut

Stuart Hogg has scored 18 tries in his 62 Exams for Scotland

Scotland v Fiji Venue: Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Date: Saturday, 10 November Kick-off: 14:30 GMT Protection: Dwell on BBC One, BBC Radio Scotland the BBC Sport web site and app. Dwell textual content on BBC Sport web site

Stuart Hogg has been handed match to return for Scotland towards Fiji simply eight weeks after ankle surgical procedure.

The Glasgow full-back was anticipated to be sidelined for 10-12 weeks and miss all the autumn Check collection.

However he begins on Saturday, with Sean Maitland, Finn Russell and Greig Laidlaw, who will captain the aspect, additionally again after lacking the Wales recreation.

Centre Huw Jones is dropped, Pete Horne beginning, whereas Exeter lock Sam Skinner is handed his debut.

The 23-year-old, who performed 9 video games for England’s Underneath-20s, qualifies for Scotland by means of his Scottish father.

He begins alongside Grant Gilchrist, with Jonny Grey on the bench, whereas Matt Fagerson is at quantity eight with Ryan Wilson shifting to blind-side flanker and Jamie Ritchie to open-side.

Fraser Brown additionally comes into the aspect at hooker, with Stuart McInally – captain towards Wales – lacking out as head coach Gregor Townsend makes 9 modifications in all from the aspect overwhelmed 21-10 in Cardiff.

An extra positional swap has Alex Dunbar shifting from outdoors to inside centre to accommodate Horne.

Hogg ‘appears to be like good to go’

Hogg, who suffered an ankle damage enjoying for Glasgow towards Munster on 7 September, had surgical procedure after getting back from Warriors’ journey to South Africa the next week.

“Stuart has educated for 2 weeks now,” defined head coach Gregor Townsend. “He educated together with his membership and recorded some wonderful velocity occasions. He has educated totally with us all week so he appears to be like good to go.

“We had expertise final 12 months when he got here again from two accidents and performed in Champions Cup video games, performed very nicely, after which two weeks later he performed Check stage.

“We might have stored him again every week or a number of weeks, however he is nonetheless going to be going right into a Check match. Having watched him in coaching, we have seen he is able to go.”

Hogg takes over at full-back from Blair Kinghorn, with Russell changing Adam Hastings – who’s on the bench – at fly-half and Laidlaw beginning forward of Ali Value at scrum-half.

Will probably be Laidlaw’s first Scotland outing since kicking the match-winning penalty towards Italy on the finish of this 12 months’s Six Nations and the primary time he has led the aspect beneath Townsend.

Sale quantity eight Josh Strauss – recalled after a 17-month absence – and Newcastle centre Chris Harris additionally be a part of the replacements, with Jones – after two missed tackles led to Wales tries final week – omitted from the match-day squad.

“Huw is like plenty of gamers we’re managing by means of this era, so he’s not concerned,” Townsend stated.

“He was near being concerned on the bench, however we simply felt that with Chris Harris in a position to cowl the wing, that was the choice round his involvement.”

Fiji ‘pose large threats off turnover ball’

Townsend, who earlier this week described Fiji as “the equal of Brazil in soccer”, reiterated that the guests will “pose large threats off turnover ball, utilising a few of the greatest particular person gamers, one-on-one, on the planet.”

“Our pack should work exceptionally arduous towards a really bodily Fijian aspect and our backs should be alert to alternatives as a consequence of that work,” he added.

“We have now to be bodily and correct, play to our strengths and put them beneath stress in areas they do not need to go into, to verify the sport is open for us however not for them.”

Fiji beat Scotland 27-22 of their final assembly, in Suva, in June 2017.

Scotland staff: Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors); Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Sean Maitland (Saracens), Finn Russell (Racing 92), Greig Laidlaw (Clermont – capt); Allan Dell (Edinburgh), Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Willem Nel (Edinburgh), Sam Skinner (Exeter), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors).

Replacements: Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), Alex Allan (Glasgow Warriors), Simon Berghan (Edinburgh), Jonny Grey (Glasgow Warriors), Josh Strauss (Sale), George Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors), Chris Harris (Newcastle Falcons).

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