Profile

• Time Zone

  Eastern

  
  
• Organization

  University of Tennessee

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  I study interactions between plants and their mutualists and antagonists, such as pollinators and herbivores. I'm interested in how ecological context can affect those interactions. For example, do predators of pollinators, such as dragonflies, alter the evolution of plant traits by altering interactions between plants and pollinators?

  
  
• 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've always loved plants, animals, and being outdoors. In high school, when I realized I could make a career out of studying the things I love and doing field work, I decided to become a biologist.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  What is best about being a scientist?

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

  The best thing about being a scientist is the freedom and flexibility to study the questions that interest me most.

  
  
• 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):

  In high school I always enjoyed science, especially learning about ecology and evolution in biology class. However, when I considered signing up for an authentic science research program, I was told by someone that it was "only for really smart kids", and I think this is a misconception that harms a lot of young people interested in science. Science is not an exclusive pursuit for geniuses, everyone can learn the scientific process, and anyone with passion can be good at science.

  
  
• 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

Team 6a 1 Amanda Benoit Mar 13, 2020

Hi Sarah, Zoe, and Wolfgang, it's great to meet you!  When I was your age I also enjoyed gymnastics, soccer, and tennis! Now in my free time I love to go horseback riding, I have a horse named Leo who I enjoy trail riding with in…

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Hi Sarah, Zoe, and Wolfgang, it's great to meet you!  When I was your age I also enjoyed gymnastics, soccer, and tennis! Now in my free time I love to go horseback riding, I have a horse named Leo who I enjoy trail riding with in the mountains. I also really enjoy gardening, I like to grow vegetable to eat and also native flowers to help feed our native bees. I love all plants and animals, I have two dogs, two cats, some hens, two aquariums with tropical fish, and Leo the horse. I'm getting my PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. My research focuses on how predators, such as spiders, affect plant pollinator interactions. I've found that when a spiders is on a flower pollinators visit less often, and can change natural selection on plant traits and plant reproduction.  
I'm looking forward to working with you! 
Best, 
Amanda 

hvchsuclesfall2018 project 11 Amanda Benoit Oct 18, 2018

Hi all, 

This is an interesting hypothesis and a great experiment! Comparing the mums is a great idea. It might be a little harder to draw any conclusions from the cone flower because it is a different species of flower and may have…

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Hi all, 

This is an interesting hypothesis and a great experiment! Comparing the mums is a great idea. It might be a little harder to draw any conclusions from the cone flower because it is a different species of flower and may have different scents or nectar which affect pollinator visitation more than stamen size, but this is an interesting question and a good way to start answering it! Good luck with your data collection. 

Best, 

Amanda  

hvchsuclesfall2018 project 1 Amanda Benoit Oct 18, 2018

Hi all, 

This sounds like a great experimental set up!  What time of day are you doing your observations?  Bees and flies tend to be most active when it warm and sunny, for example in the late morning or early afternoon. …

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Hi all, 

This sounds like a great experimental set up!  What time of day are you doing your observations?  Bees and flies tend to be most active when it warm and sunny, for example in the late morning or early afternoon.  Weather can affect the abundance as well, if it's cloudy, cold, or windy you won't see as many pollinators, so it's always useful to take notes about these things as you do your observations.  
10 minutes isn't a lot of time, if your able, increasing the amount of time you spend observing will give you more data to work with. 

Best, 

Amanda