University of Groningen
Evolutionary ecology of marine mammals Cabrera, Andrea A.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite from it. Please check the document version below.
Document Version
Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record
Publication date: 2018
Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database
Citation for published version (APA):
Cabrera, A. A. (2018). Evolutionary ecology of marine mammals. University of Groningen.
Copyright
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons).
Take-down policy
If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum.
Acknowledgements
EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY OF MARINE MAMMALS
188
Acknowledgments
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness (1969)
First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor, Per Palsbøll, who gave me the opportunity to work in his group and introduced me to the world of genetics in marine mammals. His guidance helped me in many professional and personal aspects. Thank you for all your support during these years, for your patience and knowledge. My sincere thanks also goes to Martine Bérubé. Most of the results presented in this thesis would not have been possible without her support and expertise in the laboratory. A very special thanks to all my collaborators for their contributions and suggestions to improve this thesis, especially to Léonie and Jereon, your contribution to the sei whale and fin whale projects was crucial. To Frédérique and my mom, Ligia, for the amazing drawings that are part of this thesis.
I would like to acknowledge the members of the reading and exam committee, Bregje Wertheim, Eline Lorenzen, Simon Jarman, Ailsa Hall, Anita Buma, Jan Komdeur, Sophie Brasseur, Ilse van Opzeeland and Wytze Stam for accepting to be in the committee and reading the manuscript. Thanks for the insightful comments and encouragement. Many thanks to our secretary, Hinke Tjoelker, who took care of all the administrative and bureaucratic work. Thanks for your kindness and efficiency. My gratitude to Corine for her advice throughout the PhD.
I thank my colleges and friends of the third floor, for the stimulating discussions, for the academic and emotional support and for all the fun we have had during these years. Jeroen thanks for all the marine mammal adventures and your good friendship. Jungkoo for your personal and professional advice, and for making the office and lunch time unforgettable. Xênia for your patience and positivism. Vania and Léonie for your support and friendship since the beginning of my PhD. Kathi for being a companion throughout my thesis. Yacine for sharing good moments in science and sports. Pauline, thanks for your enthusiasm and friendship. Where are we meeting this year to watch whales? Anna Kopps, Tom, Jurjan, Angeliki, Jesse, Anna Schleimer, Casey, Yvonne, João, Friederike, Marlene, Fred, Rosyta, Elena, Lionel, Javi, Wensi, Jorge and others that I might forgot (sorry for that), thanks for your inspiration and good moments.
Thanks to all my students for giving me the opportunity to be part of your academic life. I am still not sure who learned more during the time we worked together (probably I did).
A special thanks to Hielko, for your patience, unconditional support and encouragement, particularly at the final stages of this PhD. I have no words to express how important these have
Acknowledgments
189
been to me. Thanks for reading my thesis so many times (I am sure you could answer any question about it by now), for writing the Dutch translations, for all the comments and suggestions, but especially thanks for being part of my life.
I am very thankful to all my family, especially to my parents, Ligia and Hector, to my siblings, Gabriel and Gaby, and to Carlos for supporting me throughout this PhD and my life in general. To Joke, Jan, Wietske, Dirk Jan, Ingrid, Ferry, Anouk and Peter thanks for your support and making me feel part of the van der Hoorn family. I would not be here without my friends, teachers and coaches from Guatemala. You always believe in me and push me to pursue my dreams. Thanks for your support and encouragement from the distance.
The time in Groningen during my PhD would have not been as enjoyable without many friends and groups that became part of my life. I want to thank my fencing club. Liza, Maarten, Geertjan, Jelly, Niels, Oswin, Dima, Jeremio, Hannah, Annefloor, Tess, Marjolein, Nienke, Jan Jurjan, Rink, you became my first Dutch family. Thanks for sharing all those trainings, tournaments, dinners, knowledge of the Dutch society and European history, but especially for your friendship and patience with my terrible Dutch. Arnoud, the new old member, thanks for your friendship and sharing your enthusiasm and knowledge of fencing with all of us. Bas, Lam, Yusof, Peter, Stefan, Jasper, Slavyana, Jesse, Maine, Lauren, Jeffery, and many other members, all of you have made this PhD journey special. I am also grateful to my coaches and friends from horseback riding, climbing, diving, and ice-skating, especially to Nicolette, Nico, and Sam for introducing me to new and exciting sports.
To HBF group. Writser, Nienke, Mik, Mariska, Nikki, Sjoerd, Timo, Neliana, thanks for sharing many dinners and fun activities. To all my housemates, my Sunday friends, Marzena and Mr. Paultje and to everyone that in one way or the other was part of this journey.
