Profile

• Time Zone

  (GMT -10) Hawaii

  
  
• Organization

  University of Hawai'i at Mānoa

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  My main research interests is an intersection of how abiotic (non-living environmental) factors affect plant function and how plant response shifts across developmental stages. Plants deal with changing environmental stressors regularly, but how they respond depends on their developmental stage creating a pattern. My research uses a functional trait (traits that affect plant performance and fitness) approach to study how at each stage (seedlings, juveniles, adults) plants respond to stress.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

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

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

  While I've always been a curious person, I didn't think being a scientist and doing research studies was possible for someone like me. I was expected to go to law school or medical school no matter how cool I found my high school Biology class to be. I participated in my first science fair following my teacher's advice, and I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever done. When I started college I engaged with my science teachers more often and they encouraged me to consider doing more than just reading about science. One professor helped me find volunteer work with the National Parks and local science museum, work that I still enjoy today.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  What is tough about being a scientist?

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

  Science can often be disappointing. When you are preparing to start a project, there is a tedious process of planning and developing the methods and protocols. Sometimes the experiment just does not work out. That can be deflating and disappointing. But the lesson is this: it's all part of the discovery process. An experiment that fails is an important learning experience. It took me a while to accept that, but it is a very valuable perspective. The best advice I got about failed experiments is that resilience is a key to success. So what to do after a failed experiment: try, try again.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  What is your favorite plant? Why?

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

  My favorite plant is the swamp lilly (Crinum americanum). It grows in wet habitats all over the Southern United States. It produces long, slender leaves from a single stem that has a bulbous root system. It is a very cool plant that you can see all over the Everglades in Florida from a distance because of its beautiful, bright white flowers that develop in clusters of 3 or 5 or 10! It attracts butterflies, but if you look closely, you can see ants inside the flowers searching for nectar.

  
  
• Availability

  I am currently available for mentoring, please send me team match invitations

  
  
• Preferred Investigation Themes

  The Wonder of Seeds (seed germination and growth)
  The Power of Sunlight (photosynthesis and respiration)
  Celery Challenge (plant anatomy, osmosis and diffusion)
  Tree-mendous Trees

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

  3

  
  

Recent Posts

Dirt Ana Flores Apr 18 at 04:16pm

Hi Team!

It's great to see your research question and a plan for your experiment. Looking forward to seeing these results! Good luck!

Soil Ana Flores Apr 18 at 04:15pm

Hi Team!

I see you've got your research question and experiment design all set. Good luck!

Dirt Ana Flores Apr 8 at 04:37pm

Hi Team!

Welcome to Planting Science! I can't wait for you to get started growing your seeds and discovering all the factors that work well for germinating plants. I, along with your mentor, are here to support you as you develop the project.…

more

Hi Team!

Welcome to Planting Science! I can't wait for you to get started growing your seeds and discovering all the factors that work well for germinating plants. I, along with your mentor, are here to support you as you develop the project. Good luck!