Profile

• Time Zone

  Eastern

  
  
• Organization

  Ohio State University

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  I study diseases of plants - the crops that we grow for food, the trees in the forest, and flowers in our gardens. I love working in agriculture and environmental science, education outreach, and communications. Healthy Plants, Healthy Planet!

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  What is best about being a scientist?

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

  As a scientist, I enjoy working on important issues in agriculture and the environment. I want to help farmers grow healthy crops so we can all have good food and a clean, beautiful environment. I learn interesting and new things every day. I love growing plants, taking care of plants, and learning about plants - whether I'm in a greenhouse, a garden, a farm or the forest. I also love flowers. I'm always happy when I'm around flowers in the garden!

  
  
• 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 the orange tree. The orange blossoms smell like perfume in the spring, and the fruits are sweet and juicy. My second favorite plant is the Giant Sequoia tree in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, because they are so, so tall and majestic.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  What is the coolest thing you have discovered or learned about plants?

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

  Plants can get sick too! Plant can also defend themselves against disease-causing microorganisms, such as fungi, bacteria and viruses. The plant defense system is not exactly like the human immune system, but there are interesting similarities. These systems are important to all organisms for health and survival. We try to learn all we can about "plant defense" so we can grow healthy, strong plants.

  
  
• 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?

  1

  
  

Recent Posts

The Breathtaking Botanists Monica Lewandowski Apr 11 at 11:22am

Your project is breathtaking!

The Breathtaking Botanists Monica Lewandowski Apr 3 at 12:18pm

I am glad to read over any final conclusions.  That is ok about the graph, you can just explain that the plants died in your journal.  :)

It looks like the buckwheat was able to tolerate salt a little better than the radish. …

more

I am glad to read over any final conclusions.  That is ok about the graph, you can just explain that the plants died in your journal.  :)

It looks like the buckwheat was able to tolerate salt a little better than the radish.  Both the buckwheat and the radish plants did not tolerate the high salt very well!

Great job Team!

The Breathtaking Botanists Monica Lewandowski Apr 3 at 12:01pm

Your teacher told the mentors that you are wrapping up!  I have had a great time being your mentor!

- Great work making the changes that I suggested.  That is a part of our work - getting feedback and making changes to improve our…

more

Your teacher told the mentors that you are wrapping up!  I have had a great time being your mentor!

- Great work making the changes that I suggested.  That is a part of our work - getting feedback and making changes to improve our work.  Kudos to you!

- I have three more suggestions, hopefully minor:

1. On the graph labels, as you did with the tables, it would be helpful to add the concentration of salt so we know how much salt was added to your treatments. 

Control (0 tsp salt/ liter water)
Low (1 tsp salt /liter water)
Medium (3 tsp salt/liter water)
High (6 tsp salt/liter water)

2. On the graphs - For the plants that died, when the height plummets to 0, make a note either on the graph or in the graph caption, "Plants died."  Or add something like that, to indicate why the plant height is suddenly 0!

3. Your project is important!  Salt in soils is a serious problem, in many areas due to agricultural practices (irrigation, fertilization) especially in areas that are hot and dry.  Salt tolerance will be very helpful for plants to survive and grow, because not many plants can survive high salt in soils (as you demonstrated in your project!).  Salt tolerant plants may be very important for our future food production.

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Hope you are safe during any upcoming weather (we were under a tornado watch yesterday but fortunately all is ok here!).  And safe viewing during the eclipse.  I am in Columbus Ohio, and the Ohio State campus is near the path of totality, but not quite.  Some areas are in the path of totality so we are all getting prepared too!  

Thanks for being a great team and keep up the good work!

Dr. Monica