Profile

• Time Zone

  (GMT +1) Paris, Madrid, Athens, Berlin, Rome

  
  
• Organization

  Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria)

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  I’m a postdoctoral researcher at IST-Austria. My experience includes plant genetics, physiology and molecular biology. Unlike animals, plants cannot run away from stressor agents that surround them. Hence, my special interest is on the molecular machinery that plants use to respond to environmental cues, such as pests, drought and nutrient scarcity, in order to thrive. During my PhD at La Trobe University (Australia), I used the Arabidopsis model to help uncovering how plants sense fluctuations in nutrient availability. In other words, how do they know when they're 'hungry'?

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

  Oh...I pretty much feel like being a scientist was something innate to me. Since I was a little kid I wondered about the whys and hows of life and the universe, I've always been a curious reader and I remember how happy I was the time I got 'My first chemist' experimentation kit, at about 10yo. This is basically why I decided to go into a science career :)

  
  
• Availability

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

  
  
• Preferred Student Level(s)

  Middle School Students (Grades 6,7,8)
  High School Students (Grades 9,10,11,12)
  Undergraduate Students

  
  
• Preferred Investigation Themes

  The Wonder of Seeds (seed germination and growth)
  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?)
  Plants Get Sick, Too!
  Tree-mendous Trees
  The Power of Sunlight (photosynthesis and respiration)

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

  PORTUGUESE

  
  
• Videoconference Ability

  Yes

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

  1

  
  

Recent Posts

algebros Marina Borges Osorio 22 mins

Dear algebros,

Happy to hear you've been thinking of your research question. The next step would be to make your predictions. Think of the different factors taking place when seeds are germinating (sprouting) and during seedling growth. Think…

more

Dear algebros,

Happy to hear you've been thinking of your research question. The next step would be to make your predictions. Think of the different factors taking place when seeds are germinating (sprouting) and during seedling growth. Think of the factors that need to be constant (i.e. light, temperature, watering, soil type) and the ones changing (i.e number of seeds per pot, space per seed, amount of nutrients available in soil).

I would suggest using some fast growing plants, for instance some type of sprout. But it's really up to what you have available and 100% your decision. 

 

Best luck,

algebros Marina Borges Osorio Oct 17 at 02:33pm

Dear Ahmed, 

 

Great question!

What do you and the team think would happen? And after how long would you be able to see any difference, at the seed stage, when the seedlings are sprouting or when they're big? Usually as…

more

Dear Ahmed, 

 

Great question!

What do you and the team think would happen? And after how long would you be able to see any difference, at the seed stage, when the seedlings are sprouting or when they're big? Usually as scientists we like to think of what our hypotheses are, that is, make predictions about what could possibly happen in our experiment. 

One thing to keep in mind is that plants need sunlight (or any light) for photosynthesis, but also they need nutrients which they take from soil (or from inside the seed). Which one you think is more crucial for your experiment? 

Cheers 

algebros Marina Borges Osorio Oct 14 at 08:16am

Hi Ahmed,

Nice to hear back from you. Yeah you're right, the Venus flytrap catches insects in order to get some extra nutrients. Just like us plants also need nutrients to function properly, and this particular plant has evolved a very cool…

more

Hi Ahmed,

Nice to hear back from you. Yeah you're right, the Venus flytrap catches insects in order to get some extra nutrients. Just like us plants also need nutrients to function properly, and this particular plant has evolved a very cool way of getting some extra nutrition Most plants only get nutrients from the soil/water environments they live in.

 

Ok your experiment looks really interesting, but it would be nice if you try come up with a hypothesis first, of what you would expect to happen and why. For this, you may need to do some research about how plants function and what is the role of gas exchange in a plant's life. 

 

Also, regarding your idea of experiment about putting two seeds next to each other. I'm not sure if I understood properly. Can you please describe more?

 

Cheers,