Planting Science - Members: View: Jessica Carstens-Kass

Jessica Carstens-Kass

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Profile

Time Zone

Pacific
Organization

University of California - Los Angeles
Role

Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online
Research Interests (300 words)

From a young age, we’ve been taught that germs are tiny living things, or “microorganisms”, that can cause damage to our bodies. But did you know that not all microorganisms do damage? Some are actually necessary for our health!

I study kelp, a type of seaweed, and the bacteria (a type of microorganism) that naturally live on the slimy surface of kelp. My research questions are: How do these bacteria help kelp stay healthy and grow? Are there other bacteria that would harm the kelp? How can kelp choose which bacteria get to live on its surface? My research hypothesis is that kelp synthesizes a molecule which lets some bacteria, but not others, live on its surface.

To test my hypothesis, I go to tide pools at the beach, find kelp and other seaweeds, and scrape samples of its surface slime to take back to the lab. Then, in the lab, I isolate individual bacteria from the samples. I use the bacterial DNA to figure out which type of bacteria I have, and then I grow them with kelp to see whether they can survive or not.

Next, I’ll look into why some bacteria can survive on kelp while others cannot. Maybe kelp is food for the bacteria who survive and poison to the ones who don’t!
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):

During each year of high school, I packed as many science classes into my schedule as I could. AP Biology was my favorite class of all. I loved the molecular topics most -- when I learned about DNA, transcription, and translation, I would imagine these processes happening in every cell of my body and of the organisms around me. I don't feel that I ever *decided* to go into a science career; instead, I've let myself follow my interests and it's led me to the wonderful job I have now, where as a graduate student I learn and do molecular biology every day and am setting myself up for a cool job in science later!
Profile Question 2

What is tough about being a scientist?
Answer the question you selected for profile question 2 here (300 words):

Science is unexpected! We try to control every variable so that we can test our hypotheses ... but the reason we are studying whatever we are studying is because we don't know the answers, we don't fully understand the biological processes. As a result, most of the work I do in the lab is experiments that don't work! Sometimes this is frustrating, and sometimes it feels like I'm running out of new ways to tweak my experiments to get them to work. But I am always learning to push onwards, do more research, go to my mentors for help, and try new things. And eventually the experiments do work! (usually :D )
Profile Question 3

What is a typical day like for you?
Answer the question you selected for profile question 3 here (300 words):

When I arrive at the lab, I have coffee and breakfast while I read scientific literature. These are articles written by other scientists in my field (seaweed microbiomics) which help me keep up with new findings and get ideas for new experiments. Then, I start my lab work, which varies day to day and might include growing seaweed with different bacteria, extracting DNA from seaweed, and looking at seaweed under the microscope to collect data about how it's growing (visualizing the alternation of life cycles!). Sometimes the undergraduate student who I mentor comes to help me with my work. The rest of my day is filled with meetings, presentations, classes, and classwork. Every day is busy, different, and fun!
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Capacity: How many teams at a time are you comfortable working with?

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Jessica Carstens-Kass

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