Planted: Finding Your Roots in STEM Careers

Latest Episodes:

Episode 6: North Stars: the leaders in your journey with guest Dr. Chelsie Romulo Sep 27, 2018

Show notes

Mentors, colleagues and advisers do more than give insight on the journey, they can help shape the path. Follow us on this episode of Planted, as Dr. Chelsea Romulo winds us through her current research into the far corners of the Amazon and discusses mentors and advisers that helped her carve her journey to these remote pockets of the world. Bonus Content:

Dr. Chelsie Romulo's Profile and Favorite Plant Profile: Jerusalem Artichoke
Get to know Chelsie in this interview article
Classroom Activity: S1 E6- Classroom Activity - AgujePalm.docx
During Chelsie'e episode she discusses the Snowy Clover Bird- Check out this unique bird and why it is threatened
Dig Deeper into the harvesting of Aguje Palm with: Chelsie's Photo Profile
Chelsie' Blog which highlight's Chelsie's research on the aguaje palms
Video featuring Chelsie's research

Episode 5: Navigating multiple opportunities with guests Dr. Murphy Westwood and Trinity Pierce Sep 27, 2018

Show notes

Sometimes, does it really come down to trusting your gut? Setting a course within your STEM/plant career can be difficult when you are presented with multiple opportunities, internships or programs to choose between. In this episode of Planted, Dr. Murphy Westwood and Trinity Pierce share their insight on how they chose the opportunities in their path into STEM, and the skills they built along the way. Bonus Content:

Dr. Murphy Westwood's Profile and Favorite Plant Profile: Wollemi Pine
Trinity Pierce's Profile and Favorite Plant Profile: Witch hazel
Learn more about Dr. Murphy Westwood's current projects and publications and take a look at her Photo Profile
Check out Trinity's work with The Morton Arboretum's Natural Areas Restoration Program in this Photo Profile
Classroom Activity: S1 E5 - Classroom Activity -ActionPlanEasternHemlockWoollyAdelgids.docx
Dig Deeper into Endangered Trees by checking out some of the specimens highlighted in The Morton Arboretum's Vanishing Acts Exhibit
Vanishing Acts Profile: Wollemi Pine
Vanishing Act Frasier Fir
Both Trinity and Murphy discussed the internships and opportunities that they navigated to choose between within their careers. Check out more information on the Disney Horticulture Internship that Trinity completed or Kew Gardens Science, where Murphy worked during her master's program at the Imperial College in London.

Episode 4: Merging interests, more than one passion with guest Dr. Aurélie Jacquet Sep 20, 2018

Show notes

Interests guide your path, but what if you have more than one passion? In this episode of Planted, Dr. Aurélie Jacquet, an ethnopharmacologist who studies the uses of medicinal plant extracts to treat Parkinson's disease, talks about how she incorporates her passion for photography within her research. She will share how she uses microscopy to capture images of healthy or sick nerve cells.

Bonus Content

Aurélie Jacquet's Profile and Favorite Plant Profile: Red Clover
Classroom Activity: Classroom Activity- Ethnopharmacology-CellHealth.docx
Check out some of Aurélie's photography (in addition to her microscopy images) in this Photo Profile
In addition to the images Aurelie captures, she enjoys looking at nature photos. This exercise is proven to provide health benefits to individuals who view trees from their window, or spend time in nature. For more information on the benefits of trees.

Episode 3: Choosing a direction with guest Ashley Tuffin Sep 20, 2018

Show notes

Internships can take you all over the world and provide valuable insight into the career of your dreams. In this episode, Ashley Tuffin, a research assistant at The Morton Arboretum, describes how the internships guided by your interest can shape decisions and directions within your STEM/plant career trajectory.

Bonus Content:

Ashley Tuffin's Profile and Favorite Plant Profile: Oaks (family)
Classroom Activity: Environmental Survival with Pokeman
Follow Ashley's Journey by exploring their blog
Explore Ashley's internships (both at The Morton Arboretum and in Sweden) through this photo profile
Learn about classification and phylogeny using Pokemon
- Check out this NSTA article about using Pokemon to teach scientific classification
- Check out an evolutionary outline of pokemon characters/creatures

Episode 2: Early Steps: first experiences in science with guest Frank Balestri Sep 13, 2018

Show notes

Join us on this episode of Planted to learn how early experiences in the natural world can ignite passion for working with plants later in life. Inspired by his experiences with collecting and raising butterflies as a youth, Frank Balestri shares how some of his early experiences, inspired him to consider a path into horticulture.

Bonus Content:

Frank Balestri's Profile and Favorite Plant Profile: Sweet Bay Magnolia
Classroom Activity: How can humans positively impact butterfly populations?
Deep Dive into Butterflies:
- Butterfly Safari Video - Jessica, Meghan, and Frank go hunting to identify caterpillar eggs
- Butterfly Egg and Larvae Photos (also young frank is featured in these photos)
- Butterfly and Moth terminology decoded in this article from the Chicago Botanical Garden
- Watch a time-lapse video of monarch metamorphosis

Episode 1: The start of the journey: The surprising path into the STEM field with guest Dr. Andrew Hipp Aug 21, 2018

Show notes

In this episode of Planted, we talk about how sometimes our first career aspirations are wildly different from the paths we ultimately choose to pursue. Andrew Hipp's surprising and twisting path into the scientific field of plant systematics is just that, interesting at every turn. Listen to Andrew discuss his early aspirations; from astronaut to creative writer, ultimately leading to his current work as a scientist. Andrew describes how he harnesses his skills as a writer to paint a picture that weaves the genetic data of oak species from around the world to create a Tree of Life for Oak trees that spans 1000s of years.

Bonus Content:

Andrew Hipp's Profile and Favorite Plant Profile:The Bladderwort
Classroom Activity: What is an Herbarium? Citizen Science Activity to support Herbarium specimens.
Deep Dive on Andrew's Research:
- Explore Andrew's Photo Profile
- Check out this article that describes the genetic evolution of the mighty oak(s).
Learn more about Andrew's work and the Mystery of the White Oaks.

Episode 9: (Bonus) Meet the hosts Dr. Jessica Turner-Skoff and Meghan Wiesbrock Aug 21, 2018

Show notes

Before you start the winding path into plant related careers, get to know the hosts, in this bonus episode. Unravel their early interest and passion for STEM, and learn how a plant profession could be a perfect job for you!

Visit our landing page for more information about Planted: Finding Your Roots in STEM Careers

Bonus Content:

Jessica Turner-Skoff's Profile and Favorite Plant Profile: Tulip Tree
Meghan Wiesbrock's Favorite Plant Profile: Redbud
Jessica's Photo Profile- Learn more about Jessica's internships, her connections to several of the guests featured this season, as well as her background and current role.
Information on plant Blindness (during the episode Jessica and Meghan discuss this concept of plant blindness). For a deeper dive on the topic of plant blindness.
As a child, Jessica was first introduced to the concept of ethnobotany when she discovered that plants (specifically white pine) could be used to ward off Scurvy. Learn about other ways humans can use plants, including to filter water

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