Profile

• Time Zone

  Pacific

  
  
• Organization

  University of California - Los Angeles

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  Microbiology, algal biology, biochemistry, neurodegenerative disorders

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  When and why did you decide to go into a science career?

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

  (not set)

  
  
• Profile Question 2

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

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

  I find it fascinating that plants form mutualistic relationships with microbes. Industries have applied this knowledge to produce microbe-rich soil to increase crop production. This is one example where findings in the laboratory can be useful for the broader community. I am now in industry working on synthetic nucleic acids, where we hope to discover molecules for wide-ranging applications, from treating complex diseases in humans to helping plants fight off pests and pathogens.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

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

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

  My school didn't have the resources for running cool experiments, however, I did have memorable science teachers who shaped my perception of science as a career. It's fantastic that Planting Science has a platform for K-12 students to interact with real-life scientists. This is something I wished I had growing up.

  
  
• Help represent the outreach efforts of your societies. Please click all those organizations you are a member of:

  (not set)

  
  
• How did you hear about PlantingScience?

  My graduate rotation PI Dr. Siobhan Braybrook at UCLA was the first to tell me of this fantastic platform.

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

  2

  
  

Recent Posts

loscashmanwosspring2024 project 1 Christoffer Caro Mar 1 at 06:57pm

Hello Anika, 

Thank you for the update! This sounds great. What pH soil are you using for your different pots? And which pH do you suspect would be most beneficial for germination? You all can certainly start changing the different sections…

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Hello Anika, 

Thank you for the update! This sounds great. What pH soil are you using for your different pots? And which pH do you suspect would be most beneficial for germination? You all can certainly start changing the different sections above, especially "research question" and "predictions."

Onion Rings is a very suitable name and one of my favorite appetizers haha. 

loscashmanwosspring2024 project 1 Christoffer Caro Mar 1 at 06:52pm

Thanks for your post Anika! It sounds like you are treating all of your samples consistently with the exception of pH, which is great! Sometimes changing too many variables at once can confound/confuse our results. How are you altering the pH…

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Thanks for your post Anika! It sounds like you are treating all of your samples consistently with the exception of pH, which is great! Sometimes changing too many variables at once can confound/confuse our results. How are you altering the pH of the soil by the way? -Christoffer

loscashmanwosspring2024 project 1 Christoffer Caro Mar 1 at 06:51pm

Hi team!

I'm so sorry for the delay in my response; I had to wrap up a project at work but thankfully had just completed it. Thank you for all of your posts. 

Regarding my background, I received my MS in biochemistry from UCLA…

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Hi team!

I'm so sorry for the delay in my response; I had to wrap up a project at work but thankfully had just completed it. Thank you for all of your posts. 

Regarding my background, I received my MS in biochemistry from UCLA and am now working in a neurobiology lab at the UCSF Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases. While a graduate student at UCLA, I completed a rotation in an algal biology lab and was fascinated with the symbiotic relationship between microbes and microalgae, and how algal-derived compounds could be used for potential therapeutics. I look forward to working with you all and catching up on your posts!  Best, Christoffer