Profile

• Time Zone

  Pacific

  
  
• Organization

  USDA Forest Service

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  I am interested in the physiology and ecology of forest trees.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  What is your favorite plant? Why?

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

  Candystick plant - Allotropa virgata. I am filled with awe and wonder whenever I see one in the woods.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  What was the first science experiment you ever designed? How did it turn out?

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

  In middle school I experimented a lot with the marigolds that my mom planted in our yard - I would pinch off different numbers of flower buds from each plant and compare the diameter of the flowers that were produced from the remaining flower buds. When there was only 1 bud remaining, the stems often broke because the flower was too large to be supported by the stem. My mom was very frustrated because she wanted lots of marigold flowers in the yard and my experiment didn't help.

  
  
• 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):

  I loved science. I lived in a university town and worked with two botany professors who helped me do some really cool seed germination studies and I worked in the summers on the alpine tundra in Colorado measuring plant phenology and growth on plots that are still being measured. I had wonderful mentors who encouraged my love of science and helped me stay curious and learn.

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

  1