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 15 hrs

Dear team, happy to hear that you have most of your project information ready. Bear in mind that you need to wait til the end of your experiment to have the conclusion filled in, as this is the outcome, what you observe in the end, and may or may…

more

Dear team, happy to hear that you have most of your project information ready. Bear in mind that you need to wait til the end of your experiment to have the conclusion filled in, as this is the outcome, what you observe in the end, and may or may not be in line with your predictions. 

Now, how long you will grow your plants for? And how often will you observe and measure growth?

Cheers,

Marina 

algebros Marina Borges Osorio Oct 24 at 09:29am

Dear team,

Sounds like a great plan. It would be nice if you can fill this in at the Experimental Design section above. Also, I'm wondering about your predictions? As scientists we usually try to predict the outcome of our experiment, coming…

more

Dear team,

Sounds like a great plan. It would be nice if you can fill this in at the Experimental Design section above. Also, I'm wondering about your predictions? As scientists we usually try to predict the outcome of our experiment, coming up with hypotheses to be tested. They may hold true or not in the end, but it's important to also make them clear. So which of the two options (5 seeds per pot or 1 seed per pot) will lead to faster germination? Or more shoot growth? And why would you think one or another? This will go on your Predictions section above.

Best luck,

Marina 

algebros Marina Borges Osorio Oct 22 at 12:36pm

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,