A scientist called Erica

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Month: March 2018

plant biology Plant Science SciComm Science

There is more to plants than Photosynthesis

Posted on March 20, 2018 by A Scientist called Erica

Reading time 7 minutes

PhD life SciComm

Youth STEMM award

Posted on March 15, 2018 by A Scientist called Erica

Reading time 8 minutes

Meet the Scientist SciComm Science Women in STEM

Meet the Scientist- Eirini Xemantilotou

Posted on March 2, 2018 by A Scientist called Erica

Reading time 18 minutes

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Its a slow science day... - Despite what you may think 👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 don't have experiments to be doing all of the time. Sometimes we spend a lot of time sitting around waiting for the next lot of experiments to be started! - At the moment I am still waiting for my little 🌾plants to finish growing. Until I collect the last time point sample I can't do a whole lot 🤷🏻‍♀️. Which means lots of cups of ☕ and reading 📖 - As it's Easter this weekend, and I am going home for a much needed break 🧖‍♀️ I won't be doing a lot in the lab this week, so my insta is going to be a bit quiet on the old science front! - What are you guys doing this week? Hope you are all taking some time to chill out over the holidays 😊 - - - - #science #realscience #whatascientistdoes #postdoclife #plantbiology #biology #scientist #scicomm

Planning for experiments! - Plants grow at their own rate. When you plant out 20 plants on the same day and grow them in the same conditions they will hardly ever start flowering and fruiting at the same time 🙄 - This big old piece of paper I am holding has all the different days that I need to collect grains on from my different plants. - Its a bit of a waiting game at the moment... I have collected all the material from some plants but others are taking their time growing. This means I won't get all my required material for another week or two yet but 🤷🏻‍♀️ - In the world of plant science we really plan our experiments months in advance. Arabidopisis (a plant scientists fave plant) takes 6 weeks to get from seed to a mature plant. Wheat on the other hand takes about 4 months...! - Recently there has been a massive breakthrough in wheat breeding however- so called speed breeding. This shortens the time for wheat to get to maturity to just 8 weeks! This is a huge deal! It means that rather than only getting 3 generations of wheat a year we can get up to 6! - Speed breeding can only be done under certain conditions- in glasshouses supplemented with LED lights. - Atm, I am based in normal glasshouses with the longer generation time! It can be annoying at times when you are raring to go on a experiment and realise you need material from a plant that isn't ready for another 2 weeks but... what can you do! - - - - #plantscience #plantsci #biology #Postdoclife #science #behindthescience #whatscienceislike #instascience #academia #scicomm

Its official I am now Dr Hawkins!!! 🎉🎉🎉 • Yes. I am changing to Dr on my passport, my driving licence, my credit card... I worked damn hard to get a Dr in front of my name!! 😎 • • • #Dr #conferment #callmeDrHawkins #womeninscience #phdchat #finallyaDrbutnothatkindofdoctor

Checking in on my wheat plants 🌾 - - I want to have a look how the starch is developing as the grain develops. To do this I will be harvesting grains at certain time points. - - To make sure the wheat grain replicates are at the same time point of development, I firstly label the grain head when flowers begin to be seen (anthesis). These are tiny yellow flowers. Then I will collect the grains at the same time point after flower- i.e 8 days post anthesis (post flowering), 14 days post flowering... - - Hopefully I will then be able to 👀 at the differences in starch structure between my wheat plants (wild type and mutant), giving more insight into how starch grains are formed. - - #plantsci #plantscience #biology #scicomm #science #scientistsofinstagram #postdoc #postdoclife #whatascientistdoes #womeninscience #womeninSTEMM #instascience

Just keep reading... - This week is reading week- my wheat plants are currently growing, and until they get a bit more mature I don't have much to do but read and plan! - - On todays reading list is co-immuno precipitation, a technique which is new to me, which I should be using next week (maybe?!). The principle is that you have an antibody for a specific protein on some beads in a column. As you run your sample extract through the column, your target protein will bind to the antibody on the beads, sticking to the beads. All other proteins missing the binding site will be washed off the column. - You will also be able to isolate "interacting partners" by this method- these are molecules binding to and interacting to your protein of interest. - Its a really neat way of finding out what your protein of interest interacts with, and help you determine things like where your protein may localise and how it may perform its role. - I will also be continuing on my usual reading of starch synthesis in different plants (especially crops). I think I will need some strong ☕ to help with this reading, as sitting in front of a 💻 all day just reading is a bit... 😴 - - How do you guys keep your focus on the articles and stop you mind drifting after like.. 15mins?! - - #postdoclife #postgrad #postdoc #science #academia #biology #plantscience #scicommunity #womeninstemm #womeninscience #scientist #whatascientistdoes

It's Called Fashion Dahhhlingss • • • • #scienceselfie #whatascientistlookslike #postgradlife #plantscience #biology #Postdoclife #postdoc #sciencechic #womeninscience #womeninstemm #sciencelife

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Its a slow science day... - Despite what you may think 👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 don't have experiments to be doing all of the time. Sometimes we spend a lot of time sitting around waiting for the next lot of experiments to be started! - At the moment I am still waiting for my little 🌾plants to finish growing. Until I collect the last time point sample I can't do a whole lot 🤷🏻‍♀️. Which means lots of cups of ☕ and reading 📖 - As it's Easter this weekend, and I am going home for a much needed break 🧖‍♀️ I won't be doing a lot in the lab this week, so my insta is going to be a bit quiet on the old science front! - What are you guys doing this week? Hope you are all taking some time to chill out over the holidays 😊 - - - - #science #realscience #whatascientistdoes #postdoclife #plantbiology #biology #scientist #scicomm

Planning for experiments! - Plants grow at their own rate. When you plant out 20 plants on the same day and grow them in the same conditions they will hardly ever start flowering and fruiting at the same time 🙄 - This big old piece of paper I am holding has all the different days that I need to collect grains on from my different plants. - Its a bit of a waiting game at the moment... I have collected all the material from some plants but others are taking their time growing. This means I won't get all my required material for another week or two yet but 🤷🏻‍♀️ - In the world of plant science we really plan our experiments months in advance. Arabidopisis (a plant scientists fave plant) takes 6 weeks to get from seed to a mature plant. Wheat on the other hand takes about 4 months...! - Recently there has been a massive breakthrough in wheat breeding however- so called speed breeding. This shortens the time for wheat to get to maturity to just 8 weeks! This is a huge deal! It means that rather than only getting 3 generations of wheat a year we can get up to 6! - Speed breeding can only be done under certain conditions- in glasshouses supplemented with LED lights. - Atm, I am based in normal glasshouses with the longer generation time! It can be annoying at times when you are raring to go on a experiment and realise you need material from a plant that isn't ready for another 2 weeks but... what can you do! - - - - #plantscience #plantsci #biology #Postdoclife #science #behindthescience #whatscienceislike #instascience #academia #scicomm

Its official I am now Dr Hawkins!!! 🎉🎉🎉 • Yes. I am changing to Dr on my passport, my driving licence, my credit card... I worked damn hard to get a Dr in front of my name!! 😎 • • • #Dr #conferment #callmeDrHawkins #womeninscience #phdchat #finallyaDrbutnothatkindofdoctor

Checking in on my wheat plants 🌾 - - I want to have a look how the starch is developing as the grain develops. To do this I will be harvesting grains at certain time points. - - To make sure the wheat grain replicates are at the same time point of development, I firstly label the grain head when flowers begin to be seen (anthesis). These are tiny yellow flowers. Then I will collect the grains at the same time point after flower- i.e 8 days post anthesis (post flowering), 14 days post flowering... - - Hopefully I will then be able to 👀 at the differences in starch structure between my wheat plants (wild type and mutant), giving more insight into how starch grains are formed. - - #plantsci #plantscience #biology #scicomm #science #scientistsofinstagram #postdoc #postdoclife #whatascientistdoes #womeninscience #womeninSTEMM #instascience

Just keep reading... - This week is reading week- my wheat plants are currently growing, and until they get a bit more mature I don't have much to do but read and plan! - - On todays reading list is co-immuno precipitation, a technique which is new to me, which I should be using next week (maybe?!). The principle is that you have an antibody for a specific protein on some beads in a column. As you run your sample extract through the column, your target protein will bind to the antibody on the beads, sticking to the beads. All other proteins missing the binding site will be washed off the column. - You will also be able to isolate "interacting partners" by this method- these are molecules binding to and interacting to your protein of interest. - Its a really neat way of finding out what your protein of interest interacts with, and help you determine things like where your protein may localise and how it may perform its role. - I will also be continuing on my usual reading of starch synthesis in different plants (especially crops). I think I will need some strong ☕ to help with this reading, as sitting in front of a 💻 all day just reading is a bit... 😴 - - How do you guys keep your focus on the articles and stop you mind drifting after like.. 15mins?! - - #postdoclife #postgrad #postdoc #science #academia #biology #plantscience #scicommunity #womeninstemm #womeninscience #scientist #whatascientistdoes

It's Called Fashion Dahhhlingss • • • • #scienceselfie #whatascientistlookslike #postgradlife #plantscience #biology #Postdoclife #postdoc #sciencechic #womeninscience #womeninstemm #sciencelife

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