Profile

• Time Zone

  Eastern

  
  
• Organization

  University of Toronto - Mississauga Campus

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  Currently, in my doctoral thesis i am working on studying plant evolution in a group of parasitic plants, Cuscuta (dodders). This is a very diverse group in terms of its photosynthetic abilities and morphology and forms a very interesting study system. It has 4 subgroups out of which one has not been characterized yet, each with their unique features and level of parasitism. The uncharacterized subgenus Monogynella has the combined diversity of the other three subgenera, making it a very cool system to study. The aim of my thesis is to characterize this subgenus based on molecular, morphological, and genomic data and establish a phylogenetic tree of evolution for the same.
  Previously I have worked in ecology studying plant sexual systems
  specifically andromonoecy in the genus Murdannia based on resource allocation and pollinator preferences.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

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

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

  In my opinion, curiosity is the biggest driver for a career in science. Your thirst for knowledge or uncovering a scientific study is what would be your motivation throughout your career which is the best. If you're really interested in science, go for it, the world needs scientists who are passionate about their work. It will not be easy but it might just be worth it!

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  What is best about being a scientist?

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

  You are constantly learning new things from an amazing scientific community network but at the same time you are also the person who has the most knowledge about their own study- at any point of time, there is no other person who knows more about your study than you and it feels amazing!

  
  
• 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):

  In my first year of undergraduate studies, I stumbled upon the topic of mimicry and camouflage, where I learnt about plants that have flowers which mimic female bees to ensure that they get pollinated and this blew my mind! Plant behavior is such an underrated topic but it is just so rewarding when you understand the mechanism/reason behind why a plant behaves a certain way (without having a brain of its own per se!), which is one of my favorite things about working with 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?

  2

  
  

Recent Posts

wmacostspring2021 project 4 Asawari Albal Mar 10, 2021

Hi everyone,

Just checking in to see how's everything going and that you have started on your project reports!

Good luck,

Asawari

wmacostspring2021 project 4 Asawari Albal Mar 6, 2021

Hi Jaeho,

Thanks for the update. 

Yes of course the weather is going to be one of the factors that could have affected the growth.

Also a result/observation is good even if not significant!

Now about your setup - that is an…

more

Hi Jaeho,

Thanks for the update. 

Yes of course the weather is going to be one of the factors that could have affected the growth.

Also a result/observation is good even if not significant!

Now about your setup - that is an interesting point that the seed seems dry. Has anyone else faced a similar problem? 

I agree that as long as possible, the setup should not be altered. But if everyone is facing the same problem, we can alter it for a week and see of anything changes? Or if you want to go ahead, might I suggest that you do the same exact thing for both setups - like wet paper towels in both so we have consistent setups?

Looking forward to updates,

Asawari

wmacostspring2021 project 4 Asawari Albal Mar 3, 2021

Hi Ann,
Thanks so much for the updates! 
I agree, the weather would absolutely play a role in growth of the plant. And so it would be interesting to keep a note of the weather too as that will help in understanding why the plant started…

more

Hi Ann,
Thanks so much for the updates! 
I agree, the weather would absolutely play a role in growth of the plant. And so it would be interesting to keep a note of the weather too as that will help in understanding why the plant started growing late if that is the case.
Keep going and keep updating - I'm sure we'll start to notice growth soon!
If not, we will think of tweaking the setup.

Good luck!
Asawari