Profile

• Time Zone

  Central

  
  
• Organization

  Mississippi State University

  
  
• Employment Status

  University / College Graduate Student

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  My research interest is to understand drivers of adaptive radiation in flowering plants. In order to understand this I would like to study evolutionary genetics of them together with their phylogenetics and biogeography. The genus Platanthera which is in the family Orchidacea provides me a good study system to understand these processes. This is a group of species with lot of inter specific variations in their morphology. Therefore, lot of taxonomic confusions have been resulted. I'm hopeful that understanding its evolutionary genetics and biogeography would also assist in accurate delimitation of the taxa currently identified under this genus.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

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

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

  The fact that how some flowers design themselves to cater to a specific group of pollinators has always amazed me. Basically co-evolution of some orchid species and their pollinators is one of the coolest things found in nature.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  What is your favorite plant? Why?

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

  Orchids. They have outrun lot of other plant species in the flowering plant world by possessing lot of capabilities to diversify into a myriad of different niches. This ability has made them the second largest family of angiosperms.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  (not set)

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

  (not set)

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

  Botanical Society of America
  American Society of Plant Taxonomists
  Botanical Society of America
  Southern Appalachian Botanical Society
  American Society of Plant Taxonomists

  
  
• Availability

  I am NOT available, please temporarily remove me from the available mentor list

  
  
• 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?

  1

  
  

Recent Posts

The pink thinkers Eranga Wettewa Nov 16, 2017

Hi Anna,

I would give some general ideas regarding your question.

The steps I would take when performing an experiment,

-Being thorough about the experimental procedure, clarifying all the doubts before I start it.

-Getting ready with…

more

Hi Anna,

I would give some general ideas regarding your question.

The steps I would take when performing an experiment,

-Being thorough about the experimental procedure, clarifying all the doubts before I start it.

-Getting ready with all the supplies, instruments, I would label the tubes etc., know how to use the equipment, make sure I have enough supplies, chemicals for the whole process.

-Schedule my time table so that I don't have to rush or stop the experiment in the middle. 

Hope these would help!!

 

The pink thinkers Eranga Wettewa Nov 7, 2017

Hi all, this group is becoming really interesting it seems!!! It's nice to know some interesting facts about you Julie, & here's few things about me...

Mariana: I work as either a Teaching Assistant or a Research Assistant depending…

more

Hi all, this group is becoming really interesting it seems!!! It's nice to know some interesting facts about you Julie, & here's few things about me...

Mariana: I work as either a Teaching Assistant or a Research Assistant depending on the funding availability of my advisor. This semester, I'm an RA, so I also get paid for working in a herbarium data digitizing project. I spend most of my time with dead plants there.

Jocelyn: I think both mine and Julie's study interests are similar, molecular evolution of plants, specifically Orchids, more specifically I'm fascinated about how these diverse orchids have originated in different geographies, dispersed into enormous habitats and adapt into those habitats.

 Anna: My favorite color is also Blue, dark blue. I was born in Colombo the capital of the country SRI LANKA. If you look at the world map, you'll find it as a small island in the Indian ocean , just below India. 

The pink thinkers Eranga Wettewa Oct 29, 2017

Hey team!!

Yeah!!! We really are! & Thanks Julie for breaking the ice! I'm waiting to know our task and help y'all!