Profile

• Time Zone

  Eastern

  
  
• Organization

  University of Guelph

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  I am beginning to research how an enzyme called starch phosphorylase can help plants when they are stressed! Some ways plants can be stressed include when their environment is too dry or salty. When a plant is in these conditions, it makes extra starch phosphorylase! Part of my job will be to create mutant plants that make too much and too little starch phosphorylase. Then, I will test and see how these plants react when stressed.
  
  Starch is an essential part of our diet. It provides us with the energy we need to get through the day. Starch phosphorylase is a key part of how plants are able to make starch. Suppose we can understand how stressful environments change how starch phosphorylase makes starch. In that case, we can help grow plants capable of making starch even in stressful environments!

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  What is your favorite plant? Why?

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

  My favourite plant is Jewelweed! It has a beautiful bright orange-red flower that bees must climb right into. It is called Jewelweed because, in the mornings, after it rains, the water droplets on the leaves shine like jewels. I love Jewelweed because it has helped me treat bites from mosquitoes and spiders!

  
  
• Profile Question 2

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

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

  The coolest thing I have ever learned is that most plant cells are totipotent! This means that almost any part of the plant can grow a whole new plant under the right conditions. During university, I have been able to make full plants out of small pieces of leaves and stems!

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  When and why did you decide to go into a science career?

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

  I decided to go into science (specifically plant science) on a field trip to Queen's University in grade 7. While there, I took a botany course where we learned some plant basics and toured the herbarium. A herbarium is like a library of plants, and being able to see it sparked my love for botany!

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

  (not set)

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

  2

  
  

Recent Posts

schscarrollposfall2023 project 6 Rachel Hindle Nov 20, 2023

Excellent!

It seems like your experiment was a success! What do you think causes the disk to float?

 

Rachel

schscarrollposfall2023 project 6 Rachel Hindle Nov 20, 2023

Sorry for the delay! 

This looks lovely! Your second cup may be getting less light that the first, so it may take just a bit longer. But it still looks great.

 

Well done!

Rachel

schscarrollposfall2023 project 6 Rachel Hindle Nov 14, 2023

Wonderful! 

Sounds like a great hypothesis. I love the leaf disk experiment, it is one of my favourites :)

 

Let me know if you have any questions!

Rachel