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Aimee Uyehara

Profile

  • Time Zone
    Eastern

  • Organization
    University of California - Riverside

  • Role
    Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  • Research Interests (300 words)
    I am broadly interested in the genetic and molecular mechanisms that control growth and development. As sessile organisms, plants are exposed to wide ranges of environmental stimuli. Whether it is positive stimuli (adequate sunlight) or negative (herbivorous insect), the plant must take these external signals and convert it into molecular signal that initiates a plant response, e.g. growth or release of defensive compounds. During my master’s work, I was interested in the crosstalk of two hormone signaling pathways and the effects on plant growth. Now pursuing my PhD, I am interested in understanding plant growth and development from the perspective of the cell. The timing and location of cell division is key to the proper patterning and growth of plants. There are many proteins that are important for the establishment of the division plane, and we want to know what they are and how they function.

  • Profile Question 1
    What is the coolest thing you have discovered or learned about plants?

  • Answer the question you selected for profile question 1 here (300 words):
    The history of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) (used for LCD televisions, computer monitors, etc.) started with the discovery of the liquid crystalline properties of cholesterol extracted from carrots (a plant!) in the 1880s. It was not until the 1980s that the first LCD televisions were created.

  • Profile Question 2
    What lessons have you learned in your career about how science works?

  • Answer the question you selected for profile question 2 here (300 words):
    As a child, I was not sure how great discoveries were made by scientists. I thought scientific discoveries were the product of a mad scientist’s accident (usually preceded by an explosion with multiple colors and smoke). I realize now that science is a question-driven process with lots of repetition and great attention to detail, though there is still some luck involved. Many people say this as well- that science is a human endeavor, meaning that there are a diversity of people and contributions that make science what it is. I am fortunate to be part of a program where the peers and faculty are eager to discuss research to make sure it is the most accurate representation of what we observe!

  • Profile Question 3
    What is a typical day like for you?

  • Answer the question you selected for profile question 3 here (300 words):
    My cat wakes me up at 6:30 am to get fed. Usually, I then make a cup of coffee and have breakfast. When I get to the University, my day depends on the season. During the summer and fall, I spend the mornings in the field (since I work with corn). The field is very important for us because it contains all the genetic material for our experiments. We need to phenotype (what does the plant look like?) and genotype (what is the genetic constitution of the plant?) our plants, then make crosses between plants of interest. Right now I am doing a lot of computational work and I spend most of my time on the computer. However, there will be other days I spend a lot of time at the microscope or at the lab bench. I also try to block out times on my calendar for class, reading scientific literature, writing about my research or what I’ve read, and for seeing inspiring talks by visiting scientists! I try to wrap up my day by 6 pm (sometimes later) to spend time with my family, eat dinner, and take care of small work tasks that I didn’t get to that day.

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

  • Capacity: How many teams at a time are you comfortable working with?
    2

Recent Posts

bhsdobsonfall2019 project 1 Aimee Uyehara

All of your ideas sound like great questions to investigate! How do you predict your experimental treatments will affect photosynthesis in the plant? How will the treatments affect the number of leaf discs that remain floating? For…

more
bhsdobsonfall2019 project 1 Aimee Uyehara

Hi Nick, Hadyn, Brooklyn and Alexis, 

I'm very intrigued by the picture you posted. Were the cups part of an experiment that you did in class? What was your hypothesis for the experiment? What experiments are you doing that are relevant…

more
Plant Growers Aimee Uyehara

That sounds like a great plan! I would suggest having more pots per treatment, partially for backup in case a seed doesn't germinate, and partially to have more confidence in your results. Having more than one plant per treatment (at least three…

more

Skills & Endorsements

  • Encouraging
    Jill Marzolino
  • Knowledgeable
    Jill Marzolino

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NSF_Logo.jpg This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant #2010556 and #1502892. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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