Profile

• Time Zone

  Pacific

  
  
• Organization

  Central Washington University

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  I am interested in examining the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of plant photosynthesis and growth responses to environmental variables. I do this by combining ecophysiological measurements with new technologies for sensing biotic and abiotic variables at multiple scales.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  What is your favorite plant? Why?

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

  Cacti are my favorite plants, although agaves are a close second. Their special metabolism, evolved for dealing with desert conditions, make them interesting and fun to work with.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  Do you have advice for students about preparing for a science career?

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

  Students preparing for a science career should jump right in now and start investigating anything that is interesting to them. You can find scientific articles online, you can do your own observations and experiments, you can be a scientist on your own and you will learn a lot just by doing it!

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  What is best about being a scientist?

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

  The best thing about being a scientist is that you get to do what you want to do for a living. If I am interested in something, I can investigate! This is actually the secret to being a happy and successful person -- if you can do for a living what you want to do in life (no matter what it is: science, art, sports, whatever), then you are more fortunate that those who have to support themselves doing something other than what interests them.

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

  1

  
  

Recent Posts

Green Thumbs Eric A Graham Dec 14, 2017

Hi Zachary,

So the peas with no light have green leaves and look healthy?  Interesting!  Usually when I grow plants in the dark they look elongated and yellow and kind of sickly.

Do your peas in the dark look healthy or are they just…

more

Hi Zachary,

So the peas with no light have green leaves and look healthy?  Interesting!  Usually when I grow plants in the dark they look elongated and yellow and kind of sickly.

Do your peas in the dark look healthy or are they just longer than the others in the light?

Green Thumbs Eric A Graham Dec 11, 2017

Hi Brennon,

I was thinking about the Avocados that have a really high fat content (and it's what makes them so delicious).

Light does some very cool things to plants.  It actually stops them from elongating and starts them making…

more

Hi Brennon,

I was thinking about the Avocados that have a really high fat content (and it's what makes them so delicious).

Light does some very cool things to plants.  It actually stops them from elongating and starts them making leaves.  I bet that your seeds that are growing in the dark still think that they are under the soil and so they are still trying to push up to the surface.

Even though the plants in no light have grown the most, do they look healthy and green?  Are there any leaves on them and how do those compare to the plants in the light?

Green Thumbs Eric A Graham Dec 11, 2017

Hi Zachary,

Dang, you are good!  I could only really think of bananas.  I love it that you thought of coconuts (most people wouldn't think right away of coconuts as fruits).

Avocados are funny, too, since they are fruits but not…

more

Hi Zachary,

Dang, you are good!  I could only really think of bananas.  I love it that you thought of coconuts (most people wouldn't think right away of coconuts as fruits).

Avocados are funny, too, since they are fruits but not sweet (but lots of good, oils and fats -- yum!)

Are the germinating peas growing fast?  I can't remember how long it takes for the shoot to emerge from the pea after the roots have formed.