Profile

• Time Zone

  Eastern

  
  
• Gender

  Female

  
  
• Organization

  Ohio State University

  
  
• Employment Status

  University / College Graduate Student

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  I study soybean breeding and genetics. Breeding is the practice of crop improvement via selection. My specific trait of interest is disease resistance to a soybean disease called Phytophthora root and stem rot. This is a serious disease that causes significant losses for soybean farmers. My work's overall goal is to develop resistant germplasm for our breeding program and understand how the resistance is being conferred.

  
  
• Do you have previous experience in mentorship or educational outreach? Please list here (200 words)

  I have been a scientist mentor for Planting Science for a year and was part of the Agronomy Feeds the World development team. I also volunteer with local science fairs and with COSI.

  
  
• Which of the following best describes your career stage?

  Graduate Student

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  When and why did you decide to go into a science career?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 1 here (300 words):

  I decided I wanted to go into a science career after completing internships during college. The best way to find out what you like (and what you don't like too) is to try it out. If you are interested in your science courses, seek out job shadow or volunteer opportunities to better decide if a career in science is right for you.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  What is your favorite plant? Why?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 2 here (300 words):

  My favorite plant is soybean of course! It is my favorite plant simply because of the number of products that can be derived from soybeans. Soybean meal is used as animal feed for poultry and hogs. Soybean oil is used in cooking and even as a petroleum substitute to make foam, lubricants, and much much more. Soybeans can even be used to make crayons! And of course food-grade soybeans are used for products like tofu and edamame.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  What is a typical day like for you?

  
  
• Answer the question you selected for profile question 3 here (300 words):

  A typical day for me as a graduate student mainly consists of either setting up or collecting data from experiments I have running in the lab, greenhouse, or field depending on the season and size of the experiment. The rest of my day is typically filled by either meetings, reading scientific journal articles, and working on my thesis. A large part of being a scientist is being able to write and comprehend well - something a lot of people may not realize.

  
  
• Help represent the outreach efforts of your societies. Please click all those organizations you are a member of:

  American Society of Agronomy
  Crop Science Society of America
  National Association of Plant Breeders

  
  
• How did you hear about PlantingScience?

  Partner Organization E-mail

  
  
• Availability

  I am NOT available, please temporarily remove me from the available mentor list

  
  
• Preferred Student Level(s)

  High School Students (Grades 9,10,11,12)

  
  
• Preferred Investigation Themes

  Foundations of Genetics (traits, variation and environment in rapidly cycling Brassica)
  Genetics in Arabidopsis (investigation with a model species to track transmission of traits)
  Agronomy Feeds the World (where does food come from?)

  
  
• Challenge, ELL, Honors

  None of the Above

  
  
• In addition to English, I am comfortable communicating with students in the following languages:

  None of the Above

  
  
• Videoconference Ability

  Yes

  
  
• Capacity: How many teams at a time are you comfortable working with?

  2

  
  

Recent Posts

zmhsheitmannfall2017 project 4 Stephanie Karhoff Oct 16, 2017

Hi Heidi,

Did your group try the leaf disc experiment under different light conditions?  If so, what did you find?  If not, what is your hypothesis?  Do you think different colors of light would influence rate of photosynthesis.…

more

Hi Heidi,

Did your group try the leaf disc experiment under different light conditions?  If so, what did you find?  If not, what is your hypothesis?  Do you think different colors of light would influence rate of photosynthesis.  Keep up the great work!

zmhsheitmannfall2017 project 4 Stephanie Karhoff Oct 4, 2017

Hi everyone,

My name is Steph Karhoff and I am a graduate student here at Ohio State working on my PhD in plant sciences.  I study a plant called soybean and specifically genes that confer disease resistance in soybean.  Outside of…

more

Hi everyone,

My name is Steph Karhoff and I am a graduate student here at Ohio State working on my PhD in plant sciences.  I study a plant called soybean and specifically genes that confer disease resistance in soybean.  Outside of graduate school, I enjoy gardening, reading, and spending time with my family.  I am looking forward to working with all you!

 

The Fantastic 4 Stephanie Karhoff Apr 27, 2017

Hi Fantastic 4,

Any update on your experiment?  Let me know if you need any help!