Profile

• Time Zone

  Eastern

  
  
• Organization

  Hood College

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  I have conducted graduate work in the area of raptor conservation and reproduction. I also have done projects in habitat restoration specifically on how plant populations can support pollinator diversity and sustainability.

  
  
• Profile Question 1

  Can you describe your attitude toward science when you were in high school?

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

  I loved science during high school! It was always an adventure so I decided to major in biology in college. College was rigorous but I still loved it which led me to conduct research as a technician and research associate after college in two labs: biochemistry and human genetics.

  
  
• Profile Question 2

  Can you share a funny/interesting lab or field story?

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

  While in college, my classmate Marian and I decided to conduct a field study of birds at a wildlife refuge in Phila., PA. The area was near an oil refinery facility and we were told that no oil had leaked into the refuge. As we placed our feet down into the water way to walk across the refuge, oils debris oozed up onto our boots... lots of oil. This place so loaded with oil waste that we thought nothing would decide to live here. We were so surprised to see egrets, herons, ducks, song bird, and lots of nests on the site which helped our project and showed that nature will find a way to flourish even when we try to limit its progress.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

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

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

  Learning how to be flexible and open to new options is tough for science majors. At times, we think there is one path to success. This was a bias I had and I learned to listen to mentors, friends, and others who had great ideas about what 'success' could mean or look like to me. I am blessed to have had super experiences in research, science, and education because I kept my options open and let new ideas seem possible. Being a scientist is a diverse experience if you let it be.

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

  2

  
  

Recent Posts

Plantinators Lois C Johnson-Mead Apr 26, 2018

Hi Team

So glad to hear work is progressing...research is always

rewarding regardless of the outcomes. We can learn something and discover a new question.

Oh seeds...germination is a real science and the conditions  (af, temperature,…

more

Hi Team

So glad to hear work is progressing...research is always

rewarding regardless of the outcomes. We can learn something and discover a new question.

Oh seeds...germination is a real science and the conditions  (af, temperature, or chemical parameters) can grow one seed and hamper another.  Let’s look at the subtle differences in each space so we can rule out external conditions and shift the attention to another area. Did you observe any variables?

Looking forward  to seeing the discussion and summary!

Lois

Plantinators Lois C Johnson-Mead Apr 4, 2018

Great to hear the experimentation has started! I was wondering how the team is planning to manage the lack of light received my the plants in the fridge which may skew the results. Does this remove light as a constant variable in the project? …

more

Great to hear the experimentation has started! I was wondering how the team is planning to manage the lack of light received my the plants in the fridge which may skew the results. Does this remove light as a constant variable in the project?  Looking forward to seeing the outcomes, Lois

Plantinators Lois C Johnson-Mead Mar 19, 2018

Hi Erin and Ben

I am excited about your project. Just wanting to know the factors that impact seed germination and asking this question is very important and clever.

ths students you saw were conductin habitat sustainability and wetland…

more

Hi Erin and Ben

I am excited about your project. Just wanting to know the factors that impact seed germination and asking this question is very important and clever.

ths students you saw were conductin habitat sustainability and wetland restoration tree planting. If we can prevent access of runoff and agro wae to local waterways, then larger watersheds can be spared. That’s the work you see along with building observation skills in young science students while in the field. My work as a grad student involved prey delivery studies with bald eagles, so I also recently conducted a project to answer a question! 

Question: have you read any research papers looking at sees germination and human behavior?

 

take care 

L