Planting Science - Members: View: Kirsten Isabel Verster
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Kirsten Isabel Verster

Profile

  • Time Zone
    Pacific

  • Organization
    University of California - Berkeley

  • Role
    Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  • Research Interests (300 words)
    Evolution, genetics, coevolution

  • Profile Question 1
    Can you share a funny/interesting lab or field story?

  • Answer the question you selected for profile question 1 here (300 words):
    I remember I was in Michigan, where I was catching wasps from all over a field station to study how they learn and interact with one another… needless to say, I was not finding as many wasps as I wanted, and I was getting a bit desperate. I saw a giant wasp nest at least two stories high up… it seemed impossible! But a man passed by with a huge ladder and he actually held it stable for me as I climbed the wobbly ladder up two stories, waving my net around trying to catch the wasps that were angrily trying to sting me! Anything in the name of science :)

  • 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 was never really into botany until I watched David Attenborough’s film, The Private Life of Plants. I realized plants aren’t static, immobile beings… they compete and grow and strive to survive, just like animals, but on a totally different time scale! Watching the time lapses and erratic, bizarre movements in Attenborough’s film helped sow the seeds of my interest in plants.

  • Profile Question 3
    What is best about being a scientist?

  • Answer the question you selected for profile question 3 here (300 words):
    The best thing about being a scientist is you get to follow your own independent interests, pursue your curiosity about the natural world in ways I truly believe no other discipline does. Of course, you need to gather knowledge about a system before you can figure out what questions to ask, but cultivating that knowledge and discovering the answers on your own is what makes our discipline so rewarding!

  • 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

nhscohbrabgspring2018 project 2 Kirsten Isabel Verster

Hi Amir,

 

That certainly makes a lot of sense - those factors could definitely influence your results, leading you to make inferences (or conclusions) that might be untrue. Have you thought about ways that you might be able to design the…

more
nhscohbrabgspring2018 project 2 Kirsten Isabel Verster

Hi guys! Sounds exciting - how are things going so far?

nhscohbrabgspring2018 project 2 Kirsten Isabel Verster

Hi guys! Sounds exciting - how are things going so far?

Skills & Endorsements

  • No skills have been endorsed yet.

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NSF_Logo.jpg This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant #2010556 and #1502892. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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