Profile

• Time Zone

  Eastern

  
  
• Organization

  University of Kentucky

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  I am interested in host-microbe interactions. I like to study how plants, similar to humans can get sick by pathogens like bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other pests. specifically, I study how viruses replicate in plants and how the plants respond to the viral infection.
  I am also interested in advocating for plant health and highlighting the importance of plants in our lives. I like to think about strategies to improve plant health to feed the growing population sustainably.
  
  I am also curious about viruses and the tactics they have developed to successfully infect their hosts from bacteria to plants and humans. I am amazed by the huge diversity of viruses and how they evolve.
  I think we have a lot to learn from viruses to understand life and create better strategies to reduce viral infections.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  What is best about being a scientist?

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

  The best part of being a scientist is the discoveries knowing that you are not just learning but also contributing to the knowledge in your field, you are creating new information and putting together ideas to share them with everyone.
  When you are a scientist you are always learning and the best part for me is to teach and share that knowledge and experience with others. I love talking to people about my research and enjoy spending time in the lab, writing protocols and performing new experiments to answer the questions I have.
  Being a scientist allows you to travel around the world teaching and showing what you have discovered, discussing with others and learning new ideas and cultures.
  Also, science has no limits, there is something for everyone and everyone can contribute to the world. Science and knowledge are never obsolete, and you can always improve what you do. We need science to solve problems in the world.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  Can you describe your attitude toward science when you were in high school?

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

  When I entered high school, I planned to study finances, I liked numbers and I wanted to work in a company. However, in my junior year, I had the opportunity to be part of a science project. After spending several afternoons in the chemistry lab with my advisor and team planning and doing experiments for our project, I realized I wanted to be a scientist. The reason why I did not think about a scientific career before it was because I did not have enough exposure to science, my parents and older brothers could not go to college for financial reasons and I did not know anyone who was a scientist. After that science project, I changed my mind and every opportunity I had to be involved in science projects I took it. When I applied to college, I chose a scientific career and I was selected to attend one of the top science programs in one of the best universities in Latin America. Science has helped me to grow and I want others to have similar opportunities.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  Do you have advice for students about preparing for a science career?

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

  My biggest advice is to get exposure to science, I know it seems scary and sometimes is hard when you do not know where to start but reach out to scientists and ask for advice, a lot of us will be happy to talk about what we do and share what we have learned and how we started. Science is for everyone, and getting exposure is a good way to learn about science, explore, ask questions. Science is about perseverance, never give up. Everyone can be a scientist.

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

  1

  
  

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