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Megan Van Etten

Profile

  • Time Zone
    Eastern

  • Organization
    Pennsylvania State University

  • Role
    Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  • Research Interests (300 words)
    I am a plant evolutionary biologists interested in how plants react to the environmental changes caused by humans. This includes the causes and effects of pollinator declines and the creation of super weeds.

  • Profile Question 1
    What was the first science experiment you ever designed? How did it turn out?

  • Answer the question you selected for profile question 1 here (300 words):
    My first science experiment (that I remember well) was testing how different crop species might be used in bioremediation (using plants to clean up the environment) and it was a DISASTER. It was a part of a summer science program I participated in during high school, but none of the science mentors worked with plants (or even had a decent knowledge about them). This lack of mentors probably played a large part in how horribly the project went! To start with, I sterilized soil not knowing that this changes the available nutrients in the soil, so the plants were nutrient starved. I also couldn't get seeds to germinate from some of the crops because I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't have any growing space, so I grew them in my dorm room window, which wasn't enough light for the plants. I also didn't have a good way of measuring nutrients before and after the experiment since we didn't have any plant related equipment. Not surprisingly, the experiment didn't work. Also not surprising in hindsight, I was not alone! Many of the students' projects did not work out as we were expecting and some didn't even get started due to technical issues. As a scientist I have come to learn that this is a common issue and why we do preliminary experiments to test out techniques before investing lots of time and money into an experiment.

  • Profile Question 2
    What is best about being a scientist?

  • Answer the question you selected for profile question 2 here (300 words):
    The best thing about being a scientist is that I get to learn new things. I have always loved learning. As a kid I was constantly reading and observing the world around me. I really like the moment when I learn something that changes how I view the world - at first there is a disconcerting feeling where things don't make sense and then this intense shift to incorporate this new knowledge and finally a sense of happiness/relief/contentedness because now the world makes more sense. Although these moments don't happen often in life, being a scientist is the best way to continually push myself to understand the world.

  • Profile Question 3
    What is your favorite plant? Why?

  • Answer the question you selected for profile question 3 here (300 words):
    My favorite plant is the Welwitschia plant. I like it for a couple of reasons. First, it is a perfect example of the amazingness of plants - it grows with almost no water, can grow to be very large (up to 26 ft diameter), and it does this with only 2 leaves! Second, I have a personal connection to them - one of my mentors was the first to get seeds to germinate in the greenhouse AND I went to graduate school in the place that houses his original seeds.

  • Capacity: How many teams at a time are you comfortable working with?
    2

Recent Posts

dmssmithwosspring2023 project 17 Megan Van Etten

Wow, it looks like water was much, much better by the end.

6b6 - The Epic Cotyls Megan Van Etten

Thank you all for your great work! Here are my answers to your questions:

What do you think we could have done differently about this project? What would you have done differently if you had done this same experiment? It would have been awesome…

more
6b6 - The Epic Cotyls Megan Van Etten

You did a great job exploring what your results mean! I think it is interesting that the seeds in the sun took longer to germinate. I too wonder if this would differ between different species of plants. From gardening, I know that some plants have…

more

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NSF_Logo.jpg This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant #2010556 and #1502892. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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