Profile

• Time Zone

  Eastern

  
  
• Organization

  Michigan State University

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  plant evolution in urban environments and beyond, local adaptation, plasticity, stress response, and gene expression

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  What is best about being a scientist?

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

  The best thing about being a scientist is the ability to embrace curiosity and explore the unknown. When I encounter a puzzle, I can develop an idea about how to solve it. Sometimes it works! Sometimes it doesn't, but no matter what, you learn from every effort and contribute to our greater understanding of processes behind natural phenomena.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  What is a typical day like for you?

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

  A typical day for me involves lots of reading and writing. I also have meetings with colleagues and we discuss how our experiments are going and develop new ideas for future experiments. There is a lot of creativity and collaboration.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  Do you have advice for students about preparing for a science career?

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

  A career in science involves hard work, but it can be very rewarding. If you want to pursue a career in science, I would recommend the following. 1) Work hard in the classroom, 2) Stay organized and manage time wisely, 3) Reach out to scientific organizations (ex: non-profit organizations) and institutions (ex: colleges, museums, botanical gardens) to find out about internship and other types of learning/networking opportunities, 4) Cultivate your specific passions but also be bold and explore beyond your immediate interests, 5) Ask lots of questions!

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

  3

  
  

Recent Posts

fchslashfall2021 project 3 Rebecca Panko Oct 29, 2021

Thanks, Erica! I'm glad that you enjoyed your studies, and good luck with your future endeavors.

fchslashfall2021 project 3 Rebecca Panko Oct 29, 2021

Thanks, Dalton! I enjoyed hearing about your work. Good luck with your future pursuits. 

fchslashfall2021 project 3 Rebecca Panko Oct 28, 2021

Hi Erica,

Thanks for uploading these figures. Quick question: what do the different colors on the pie chart indicate?

Take care,

Dr. Panko