Profile

• Time Zone

  Pacific

  
  
• Organization

  University of California - Berkeley

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  My research interests involve creating a more sustainable future through
  a better understanding of plant-pathogen interactions. For my PhD research, I studied a receptor involved in regulating plant defense and growth. I enjoyed learning how plants coordinate their resources to help them achieve optimal fitness.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  What is your favorite plant? Why?

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

  My favorite plant is the Ophrys apifera (bee orchid). It is so fascinating that orchids evolved the ability to mimic insects in their appearance. It is interesting to me that the most advantageous traits involved co-evolution with insects that gave rise to something I find aesthetically beautiful.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  What is tough about being a scientist?

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

  I think one of the hardest parts about being a scientist is having to deal with "failure" on a daily basis. Conducting experiments is humbling because you put so much of your time, effort, and energy into an experiment and you may still have negative results. However, I like how learned to cope with the negative results and work through it. I learned to continually believe in myself and to be okay changing directions when it looked like my hypothesis was wrong.

  
  
• 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):

  The coolest thing that I learned about plants is that they are the foundational organisms that allow all other life to exist. I find it so beautiful that they are able to take light from the sun, water and CO2 and convert that into glucose. They generate essential amino acids we need to survive. They also convert CO2 into oxygen. Plants are altogether amazing at helping maintain an earth that allows for people to thrive.

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

  2

  
  

Recent Posts

mhsmirandafall2022 project 16 Clara Williams Oct 24, 2022

Hello, thank you for the update. Did you take pictures of your plants? When you say you killed your plants were they very large prior to adding the fertilizer (aka chicken poop and fish water). It is good you are giving your plants both water and…

more

Hello, thank you for the update. Did you take pictures of your plants? When you say you killed your plants were they very large prior to adding the fertilizer (aka chicken poop and fish water). It is good you are giving your plants both water and light. Did you check to see the germination (or how fast the seeds turned to seedlings). Did both sets of plants germinate at the same time? Chicken poop and fish water are probably pretty high in nitrogen but also in bacteria. It may have been a bit too much for the seedlings. You need to make sure you have the right dose of everything :)

mhsmirandafall2022 project 3 Clara Williams Oct 21, 2022

Hello Scientists!

Before I put soil in the pots for my experiment, I will take a large bucket and premix the soil and water to make sure the soil is completely wet. Your farm soil may have some hydrophobic (i.e. water repelling) particles in…

more

Hello Scientists!

Before I put soil in the pots for my experiment, I will take a large bucket and premix the soil and water to make sure the soil is completely wet. Your farm soil may have some hydrophobic (i.e. water repelling) particles in it. Similar to how chocolate milk mix will sit on top of the water if you do not mix it vigorously. When you premix the soil and water before you add it to the pot it is also beneficial because you know the water is uniformly distributed, plus you can abstain from watering for a few days- which is also nice :)

Congratulations on pretty decent germination rates. I never have 100% of my seeds germinating either ;)

mhsmirandafall2022 project 3 Clara Williams Oct 10, 2022

Hello, My name is Clara and I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley where I study epigenetics in plants (i.e. alterations made to the expression of the gene without changing the actual DNA sequence). I have previously…

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Hello, My name is Clara and I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley where I study epigenetics in plants (i.e. alterations made to the expression of the gene without changing the actual DNA sequence). I have previously worked on plant defense response, focusing on biotic stressors like herbivores (e.g. insects). I am going to start working with tomatoes and am excited to work with a crop species. I am looking forward to helping answer any questions you may have as your mentor :)

What are your favorite plants to grow? Has anyone previously grown radish?