Research Interests: Plant growth and development Exploding Flowers Plants aren't always slow! Bunchberry flowers propel their pollen into the air in less than half a millisecond. Lateral Root Development I study the process by which new lateral roots form. The plant hormone auxin stimulates expansion and division in a single cell that eventually forms all of the structures and organization found in the main root. These events begin deep inside the tissues of the parent root. How then does the new root move through those tissues to reach the soil? Cell-to-cell cohesion is critical to life, yet this is a situation in which cell separation must occur. The mechanisms that lead to lateral root emergence have been debated for more than 100 years without resolution. Today, we use the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, its mutants, and cutting-edge molecular tools to answer this question. I hypothesize that enzymes that degrade pectin (the substance which makes jams jell ) help plants control cell separation during the formation of new roots. We are using molecular genetic tools to understand the expression and regulation of these enzymes and the genes that code for them. I am always eager to talk to students about research. For those interested in a semester-long project, BIOL 305 offers the opportunity to carry out real research in a supportive, collaborative setting. For those interested in a longer commitment, I am happy to discuss our year-long honors program. Drop by and see me! Courses offered: First Year Seminar (FYSP 165) Feeding the World BIOL 118/119 Organismal Biology and lab (with Yolanda Cruz and Jane Bennett) BIOL 304 Mechanisms of Plant Adaptation BIOL 305 Experiments in Plant Growth and Development BIOL 501/502 Honors Research Postdoctoral Research, University of California, Berkeley Ph.D. in Biology, Stanford University B.S. with honors, Indiana University Publications