Profile

• Time Zone

  Pacific

  
  
• Organization

  Stanford University

  
  
• Role

  Scientist Mentor: I will mentor teams of students online

  
  
• Research Interests (300 words)

  I am interested in how plant structures and plant developmental patterns influence the way plants live in the world. Most recently I have been writing about plants we eat: what parts do we eat and why, how do their properties matter to us as eaters, and what can we learn about morphology and ecology by paying attention to plant foods? In past work, I have investigated the evolution of structures that help plants survive in their environments, for example leaf traits (thickness, number and size of stomates, hairs) and stem traits (size and capacity to carry water). I try to reconstruct evolutionary histories of these traits by comparing closely related plants that live in different environments.

  
  
• 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 experiment was not a good one, but I learned a lot. In first grade, I wanted to grow a bean plant for the science fair. My dad, a bacteriologist, told me that simply growing a plant was not doing science. To do science I had to ask a question. My question became "can I grow a bean?" And I could. My Dad let me grow that bean, but I never forgot his advice about framing questions in science. He guided me through many subsequent science fairs and supported me in my quest to become a professional botanist. Thanks, Dad!

  
  
• Profile Question 2

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

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

  I loved my biology classes in high school. I loved biology instinctively, but I also had a teacher who really cared about our learning. I most appreciated the creativity I could bring to the class through designing experiments and writing lab reports. Other classes were much more about following directions, but biology let me think for myself and test my ideas. It was exciting.

  
  
• Profile Question 3

  (not set)

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

  (not set)

  
  
• Availability

  I am currently available for mentoring, please send me team match invitations

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

  2

  
  

Recent Posts

ChickenHeads Katherine Angela Preston Apr 23 at 03:51pm

Oh, goodness! Those are very long stems. (Technically those are what we call hypocotyls. That's the part of the stem below – hypo – the cotyledons – the cute little heart shaped leaves that came out first.

A fun fact is that…

more

Oh, goodness! Those are very long stems. (Technically those are what we call hypocotyls. That's the part of the stem below – hypo – the cotyledons – the cute little heart shaped leaves that came out first.

A fun fact is that the part of the radish that you eat is actually that hypocotyl! It should start to get really thick and turn a bit red. Usually that happens partly below ground, but because your hypocotyls have gotten so long, they are mostly above ground.

I'm concerned that your plants may not be getting enough light. Is that possible? Sometimes plants have to reach for the light and they do that by getting really long in their stems.

Let me know what you think about the light situation.

Dr. P

zea mays '24 project 16 Katherine Angela Preston Apr 23 at 03:46pm

Ah, I see now. Thank you, Ms. Case-Sweeney, for the photos. So all of the above ground parts should be getting similar light on their leaves, and only the roots are exposed in different ways.

Can you see any roots through the pots? It would be…

more

Ah, I see now. Thank you, Ms. Case-Sweeney, for the photos. So all of the above ground parts should be getting similar light on their leaves, and only the roots are exposed in different ways.

Can you see any roots through the pots? It would be interesting to compare the LED and the exposed plants to see whether their roots are growing up against the insides of the pots and if they look different. I guess you can't see the blackout treatment roots until you harvest the plants.

To be honest, I cannot think of a reason why the treatment should affect leaf color as long as you are giving all of the plants the same water and fertilizer. Leaf color is about light and nutrients, so I'm surprised that light on the roots has any effect. I can imagine that the blackout roots might be warmer because the black will absorb light (just like you get hotter in the sun if you are wearing a black shirt vs a white one).

I think you should keep taking your measurements and making observations. The overall height of the plant plus the number of leaves and the final weight (when you harvest them) would be good to track. But of course the main question is about the roots, so when you harvest the plants you should look carefully at those.

Your plants are making flowers, which is so fun! Maybe you will get to eat your peppers. :)

Dr. P

zea mays '24 project 16 Katherine Angela Preston Apr 22 at 07:28pm

Thanks for this description, Kamilly. I think I can imagine the setup now. What kind of light are the exposed plants exposed to? Do you know how it compares to the LED lights in terms of brightness?

It would be great to see photos!