The Zinc (Zn) Team had a challenging project ahead of them, which leveled up with postgraduate research work. Not only they were testing an environmental variable that was very subtle and difficult to control (Zn nutrition status), but they increased the complexity of their experiment by testing the effect of increased Zn levels (relative to control) on Arabidopsis plants with different genetics. They compared different mutant lines, where particular genes and processes were not functioning, to Columbia wild-type plants. The team initially developed a research proposal, and allowed time for mentor feedback, showing that they put some time and effort planning their project. The long-term plant physiology experiment also required a lot of dedication, since plants required daily monitoring of plant growth and development, water status and Zn toxicity symptoms. While the students faced setbacks in their experimental setup (i.e. fungal contamination and drought) which are normal when performing a pilot study, they were fast in detecting issues and reporting them in the PlantingScience platform, as so to ensure their experiment was not lost. Finally, the Zinc Team also produced a nice poster to report their findings and conclusions to their school community. In this poster, they also made sure to realistically point out the setbacks faced, and came up with possible research directions based on their observations and overall research experience. Absolutely great work!
-- Julie Fowler, Scientist Liaison