Profile

• Time Zone

  Eastern

  
  
• Organization

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  MY research interests include plant development, plant genetics, reproduction, pathogen response

  
  
• 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):

  I wanted to go into science because I wanted to contribute to gaining more knowledge on plant research! It is amazing how much we know about plants but it blows my mind all the questions we still have left to be answered!

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  What lessons have you learned in your career about how science works?

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

  I've learned that you have to be patient and flexible as a scientist. Failure is a very common thing when working in science and you have to be comfortable when it happens, learn the lessons you needed to learn and then move on to the next experiment. It's really important not to get too down when things don't work because that could be everyday.

  
  
• 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 the freedom you have to ask different questions and be able to answer them in a lab. It's also great to have a supportive team behind you that can help you when you have issues or have ideas you want to bounce off them. Scientists really are on the shoulders of giants, there's so much i've learn from other scientists!

  
  
• In addition to English, I am comfortable communicating with students in the following languages:

  (not set)

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

  2

  
  

Recent Posts

seed germination Amala P John Nov 13, 2020

Hello,

That's great that your alfalfa is germinating! Did you notice any differences in germination from the pots with fertilizer and those without?

I never asked how you will be measuring the nutrient content, do you have test strips?

H…

more

Hello,

That's great that your alfalfa is germinating! Did you notice any differences in germination from the pots with fertilizer and those without?

I never asked how you will be measuring the nutrient content, do you have test strips?

Hope the first measurement goes well :)

Amala

seed germination Amala P John Nov 5, 2020

That sounds like a good idea to have a backup and 4 days sounds great! Let me know if you have more questions. If you think of more details, feel free to update your experimental info. Sometimes you'll have good ideas pop up as the experiment…

more

That sounds like a good idea to have a backup and 4 days sounds great! Let me know if you have more questions. If you think of more details, feel free to update your experimental info. Sometimes you'll have good ideas pop up as the experiment progresses, it's a good idea to write those down. 

Good luck with your experiment :) 

seed germination Amala P John Oct 29, 2020

Hey all! My name's Amala and I'm a researcher studying plant development. It seems like you've already got a research question you'd like to explore and some predictions, which is great!

I have a few questions just so I can…

more

Hey all! My name's Amala and I'm a researcher studying plant development. It seems like you've already got a research question you'd like to explore and some predictions, which is great!

I have a few questions just so I can understand your experiment a little better:

1. You say you are going to measure the Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium and pH of the soil, when will you be measuring these values? (Start and end, every week, everyday?). Since your hypothesis is that mineral content of the soil will decrease, I would think about how often you would need to measure that content (When you say 4 points, do you mean 4 measurements?)

2. You have 6 pots, what is the reason you have 2 pots that will be fertilized? Is this a control for your experiment? (As in the fertilizer should always have higher levels of the minerals?)

This looks like a great experiment so I'm looking forward to working with you all!

Amala