Profile

• Time Zone

  Pacific

  
  
• Organization

  The University of British Columbia

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  I am interested in looking at the genomes of carnivorous plants, which get some of their nutrients by trapping animals. As carnivory has evolved multiple times, I am looking at carnivorous plants’ genomes to see whether different plants use the same sets of genes to develop carnivory. I am also looking at how different groups of carnivorous plants are related to one another.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  What is best about being a scientist?

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

  I love to ask questions and there’s no shortage of those in science. Even more exciting is getting to find the answer! I get spend my day surrounded by other people who love to learn, and I enjoy having a job that is both practical and theoretical.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  Can you describe your attitude toward science when you were in high school?

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

  I was a really keen student and took all the science classes I could. I was also a member of my school's ecology club and biomedical society, and took part a few different competitions for biology, chemistry, and maths.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  What is a typical day like for you?

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

  One of the great things about my work is that there is no typical day! Usually I will spend most of my day at my computer, analysing data or writing reports and grant applications. I also spend quite a lot of time in the lab running experiments. Sometimes I even get to go and do fieldwork in the mountains to collect plants which I then take back to the lab to study.

  
  
• Availability

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

  
  
• Preferred Student Level(s)

  Elementary School Students (5th grade)
  Middle School Students (Grades 6,7,8)
  High School Students (Grades 9,10,11,12)
  Undergraduate Students

  
  
• Preferred Investigation Themes

  The Wonder of Seeds (seed germination and growth)
  The Power of Sunlight (photosynthesis and respiration)
  What about Pollen? (pollen and pollination)
  Celery Challenge (plant anatomy, osmosis and diffusion)
  Foundations of Genetics (traits, variation and environment in rapidly cycling Brassica)
  Genetics in Arabidopsis (investigation with a model species to track transmission of traits)
  C-Fern in the Open (sexual reproduction, alternation of generations)
  Agronomy Feeds the World (where does food come from?)
  Plants Get Sick, Too!
  Tree-mendous Trees

  
  
• Challenge, ELL, Honors

  Academically Challenged
  Honors or AP - Advanced Placement
  ELL - English language learners

  
  
• Videoconference Ability

  Yes

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

  2

  
  

Recent Posts

Flower Power Project Philippa Stone Nov 29, 2023

Wow that sounds dramatic! It's great that you have some results already, how do you plan to analyse your data?

The Biology Buffs Philippa Stone Nov 28, 2023

Hi Jet, I can tell you a little bit about what I do. I'm a grad student just over the border in British Columbia, but at the moment I'm working at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London, UK. This is because I'm collaborating with some…

more

Hi Jet, I can tell you a little bit about what I do. I'm a grad student just over the border in British Columbia, but at the moment I'm working at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in London, UK. This is because I'm collaborating with some other researchers here to see how different species of plants are related to one another, a bit like a family tree. Since I've been in London I spend almost every day in the lab doing DNA extractions, and preparing the DNA to be sequenced. Sometimes I go to the herbarium to see how the plants that I study look. A herbarium is like a big library full of dried pressed plants. This is really helpful as they come from all over the world, so I can see what different plants from different places look like without having to travel to where they're from. Usually when I'm in BC I do a lot of teaching as well, but I don't have any classes here in the UK. 

The Biology Buffs Philippa Stone Nov 28, 2023

Hi Luke, this sounds like a good plan. How many spinach discs are you planning to put in each cup?