Profile

• Time Zone

  Pacific

  
  
• Organization

  Washington State University - Tri-Cities

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  I am interested in interactions and symbioses between plants and fungi as well as how communities develop in response to disturbance and along successional gradients. Currently I specialize in Arctic plant ecology, especially arctic lichens and primary succession following glacial retreat. My upcoming research will focus on interactions between mycorrhizae and nitrogen fixing bacteria in the rhizosphere of switchgrass to better optimize biological nutrient cycling rather than over use of fertilizer.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  What is best about being a scientist?

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

  I get to travel to beautiful, remote and wild locations that most people never see and are mostly unaffected by human activities to document and study how plants interact, and change in their natural state.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

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

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

  My mom used to bring me with her occasionally on archeological trips into national forest land and showed me the joys of having a job outside. I had wonderful mentors as an undergraduate who helped me find my passion in botany and mycology and got to take multiple field-oriented courses where I saw the unending potential and beauty in a career as a plant biologist. That is when I changed my major to botany and have spent every summer in the field since! I wanted to share this wonderful world of opportunity with others and do research that would contribute to improved understanding and conservation of our natural world for the better.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  What is tough about being a scientist?

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

  Having to rely on convincing funders that your work is important in order to conduct research you know is important.

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

  1

  
  

Recent Posts

Agronomy Feeds the World: Team Onion Shawnee Amelia Kasanke Sep 29, 2021

Hi Dylan, nice to meet you (digitally). What interests do you have involving the purpose of plants in human life?

 

Agronomy Feeds the World: Team Onion Shawnee Amelia Kasanke Sep 22, 2021

Hi Team Onion! My name is Shawnee, and I study how grasses communicate with mushrooms and bacteria in the soil for food and protection. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you (digitally). Would you mind introducing yourselves? What about…

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Hi Team Onion! My name is Shawnee, and I study how grasses communicate with mushrooms and bacteria in the soil for food and protection. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you (digitally). Would you mind introducing yourselves? What about science interests you? What do you hope to do as a career? Feel free to reach out with any questions as this project moves forward.