Profile

• Time Zone

  Eastern

  
  
• Organization

  University of Maryland

  
  
• Employment Status

  University / College Staff

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  My overall research interests span the fields of evolutionary ecology (primarily species interactions), organismal biology, and molecular biology.
  
  My primary interest is in plant-insect interactions within the context of invasion ecology, which was the focus of my doctoral and postdoctoral work. I am curious how prior coevolutionary history between native and exotic species (both plants and insects) affects successful establishment of exotic species in the introduced range. Specifically, I am interested in how plant responses to herbivory (plant resistance and tolerance) differ between native and invasive plants, and whether native insects have feeding preferences with regard to native vs. exotic plants. I am also interested in investigating various invasion hypotheses and exploring their usage in controlling invasive species.
  
  Previously, I have also conducted research on population genetics, phylogenetics, and host-parasite interactions.

  
  
• Do you have previous experience in mentorship or educational outreach? Please list here (200 words)

  Yes, I have experience mentoring undergraduate students and high school students, as well as serving as a judge and a volunteer at student research symposiums. I mentored students on a variety of ecological projects (Herzen University, Russia), projects on phenology and population distribution of Drosophila suzukii (University of Wisconsin-Madison), and currently on DNA barcoding (University of Maryland).
  
  I also participated in Digging Deeper project last year - I absolutely loved it and I’ve decided to stay with PlantingScience forever!

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  What is best about being a scientist?

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

  The best part about being a scientist is discovering a lot of new things which people do not know yet. No matter what you do in science – growing plants, catching butterflies, or digging up fossils – everything is fascinating and you never know what you could find. Most importantly, anything you discover as a scientist could be extremely useful for people and the environment: we can save animals, plants, or discover a new vaccine. Besides, science is a lot of fun: to me, being a scientist means that I will never be bored. When you are a scientist, something new happens every day: I conduct my experiments and every day I observe or measure something different from what I did yesterday; or I read the literature and learn something new, or I go on a field trip and meet amazing creatures...
  
  My favorite part is conducting experiments. It feels like I am a movie director: I can pick my study organisms, I can change light, temperature, humidity and see how my organisms respond; I can design a new insect trap or an experimental cage; I can even make my plants grow more leaves or more roots, or compete with each other, and see what will happen… Then, of course, I can share my experimental results with a lot of people and see what they have found in similar experiments, and together we can learn something new about the world around us, and then use our new knowledge to make it better and healthier, which is really cool!

  
  
• 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):

  I am sure I did my first science experiments in either secondary or high school, but unfortunately I don't remember the details. So I thought I would share my first research experience during my doctoral studies at the University of Cincinnati: during that time I started my research on a new topic, in a new lab, and in a new country - so it really felt like one of the first science experiments I had ever designed.
  
  This experiment was on host-parasite interactions between grasshoppers and flies. I wanted to determine whether flies are host specific (prefer to infect only one grasshopper species). I designed special cages with a mesh frame instead of the "floor": if a grasshopper is infected then fly larvae would emerge out of a grasshopper's body and would fall through the mesh frame to a container. I planned to rear adult flies from larvae, then identify and match them to grasshopper species.
  
  I went on multiple field trips to collect grasshoppers: I went to Ohio, Iowa, and Montana. I collected more than 200 grasshoppers and shipped them to the lab. One of my lab members (who received the boxes) told me that when he opened the box all the grasshoppers flew out and he had to run around the lab catching them. But he caught them all!
  
  I maintained grasshoppers in the lab for about 2 months until they all died. None of them were infected! I was shocked: the whole experiment including building the cages, species collection, and observations of grasshoppers took about 5 months and led to zero results.. I had no idea about what I did wrong. Later I learned that natural infestation rate in grasshoppers might be quite low (about 2%) – so apparently all of grasshoppers I caught were simply very healthy!

  
  
• Profile Question 3

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

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

  When I studied plant responses to herbivory during my doctoral studies I was curious how plants defend themselves from being eaten, and specifically whether or not they can avoid it all. While searching for relevant studies I found an interesting example of such resistance to herbivory in tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima). I learned that this species has a unique way of protecting the top part of the plant from being eaten. This type of resistance is called "ducking": some plants have normal stems, while others have "candy-cane" stems which nod at the top during plant growth. Researchers showed that the "candy-cane" stems are temporary and that the "ducking" coincides with the oviposition of certain insect herbivores which especially prefer to feed on the top part of the plant. So basically the plants hide their top parts from the insects - very cool defensive strategy!

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

  Entomological Society of America
  Botanical Society of America
  Ecological Society of America

  
  
• Availability

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

  
  
• Preferred Investigation Themes

  Plants Get Sick, Too!
  The Wonder of Seeds (seed germination and growth)
  The Power of Sunlight (photosynthesis and respiration)
  What about Pollen? (pollen and pollination)
  Foundations of Genetics (traits, variation and environment in rapidly cycling Brassica)
  Genetics in Arabidopsis (investigation with a model species to track transmission of traits)

  
  
• Challenge, ELL, Honors

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

  
  
• In addition to English, I am comfortable communicating with students in the following languages:

  Russian

  
  
• Videoconference Ability

  Yes

  
  

Recent Posts

Plants Alina Avanesyan Nov 4, 2019

Thank you very much for sharing, Leah! Looks great, hope you had fun doing this project. I really enjoyed it! Good luck with your studies and remember that plants are cool :)

;) Super Sprouts :) Alina Avanesyan Nov 4, 2019

Thank you, it was fun! Good luck with your studies and remember that plants are cool :)

;) Super Sprouts :) Alina Avanesyan Oct 30, 2019

Lilly and Jocelyn, thank you for the updated information and the chart! It does look that 10 and 15 ml of water facilitate plant growth very well. I'm curious what was the most fun part of this experiment for you?