Planting Science - Members: View: Devani Jolman

Devani Jolman

Profile

Profile

Time Zone

Eastern
Organization

Old Dominion University
Role

Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online
Research Interests (300 words)

I study plant hybridization, or when two different species of plants breed to make a potentially new type of plant (think ligers, or a lion crossed with a tiger). I am investigating how hybrid plants interact with their community, like birds or bees, differently than their parents and if the hybrids will be able to handle the impacts of climate change, like higher temperatures or less precipitation, better than their parent species. To do this, I am looking at blueberry bushes in Virginia, which means I get to eat blueberries while I do research!
Profile Question 1

What is best about being a scientist?
Answer the question you selected for profile question 1 here (300 words):

Being a scientist means I get to spend my day outside in nature, surrounded by plants, bugs, and sunshine! It also means that I can ask questions and work towards answering them; my job is to be curious. This planet is so fascinating and being able to learn about it while working towards protecting it makes me excited to go to work every day.
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):

If you are preparing for a science career, be curious and write down all of your questions! As a student, you are experiencing and learning so many new things which can lead to a lot of really interesting and creative questions! If you write those down somewhere, you could eventually design research projects that could answer them. When you become a scientist, questions are so important!
Also, even before you become a "scientist," let your curiosity lead you to learn about the environment around you! Go on a hike and try to identify plants with a field guide, try your hand at birding, attend outdoor education classes at your local nature center, or volunteer at a restoration/clean-up project. There are so many amazing ways to become involved in your local environment, and all of those experiences will develop knowledge, provide networking opportunities, and increase overall interest in science!
Profile Question 3

What is a typical day like for you?
Answer the question you selected for profile question 3 here (300 words):

Every day is different for me, which keeps me on my toes and excited about my day! Some days I spend in the herbarium, looking at mounted plants that people in the past have collected and saved for future scientists to observe. Some days I spend in the lab, extracting DNA from blueberry leaves so that I can tell which species is my hybrid's parent. Some days I am in class, doing homework, or studying for my classes. Some days I am reading scientific literature to further develop my research project's design, methodology, or background. The days that are my favorite are days spent in the field! I wake up early and head out to a field site, such as a swamp or oceanic dunes, where I hike around until I find and identify my blueberry plants and then take morphologic and functional data! I get to spend the day outside and under the sun.
Capacity: How many teams at a time are you comfortable working with?

2

Devani Jolman

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