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I am a graduate student researcher studying ecology here in the Department of Biology at Indiana University. Most of my research focuses on trying to understand what the millions of tiny bacteria and fungi that live on hosts are doing. How do these tiniest of nature’s creatures colonize animals and plants? How do they affect host health and development? These associations in nature are mysterious and exciting. You cannot see most bacteria and fungi, but I spend a lot of my time imagining their presence, on every tree as I bike through town and inside my dog as she runs and plays. I decided to become a writer and editor with SciU because I wanted to put some fun and mystery back into the discovery of science and the natural world through my own and others’ words.

Entries by Briana K. Whitaker

Employing wheat’s bacterial partners to fight a pathogen: An internship experience

Posted August 23, 2018 by Briana K. Whitaker

This post is from the US Department of Agriculture’s blog. It was originally published on August 7, 2018, and has been lightly edited with a short introduction on internship experiences for graduate students. Internships in graduate school can be a fantastic experience. They can expose you to a completely new way to do science outside… Read more »

The process of science and politics and the risks to education

Posted December 19, 2017 by Briana K. Whitaker and Chris ChoGlueck

A picture of stacks of coins and stacks of pens over a sheet of text.

As recently as Thursday of last week, two different versions of a tax reform bill were working their way through a reconciliation committee comprised of House Representatives and Senators. The House version of the tax reform bill had called for changes to the tax code that would have dramatically affected the personal finances of graduate… Read more »

What is change??

Posted October 24, 2017 by Briana K. Whitaker

Graphical display showing four different trend lines, each in a different color. Direction of the trends is generally positive (increasing moving left to right across the plot), but with variation over time.

What is “change”? This might at first seem like an oddly philosophical question to encounter in a science blog. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once described change as the idea that “One cannot step into the same river twice” (paraphrased; Graham 2015). However, this more existential definition for change differs in important ways from the one… Read more »

Who’s eating who? Predators that cause disease epidemics & Predators that improve human health

Posted August 8, 2017 by Briana K. Whitaker

A women sits in a blue boat (kayak) holding a double-sided paddle in the middle of a lake. Trees and cloudy background.

Pathogens and parasites are the hidden players of many of nature’s most bizarre and beautiful patterns and processes. For example, the extraordinary levels of plant animal biodiversity we find in the tropics is thought to be due, at least in part to the high levels of disease and natural enemies we find in those environments…. Read more »

Horton Hears a Who – Hidden Communities in Leaves

Posted May 23, 2017 by Briana K. Whitaker

A cartoon elephant holds a tiny flower close to his ear using his trunk. On this tiny flower is an even tinier speck of dust.

Maybe you remember reading the classic Dr. Seuss tale as a child, Horton Hears a Who! Or you may have also seen the 2008 movie adaptation on TV or at some recent family vacation? For those who haven’t, or whose memory might be a little fuzzy, Horton the elephant discovers, and becomes the sole champion of, an… Read more »

Biological Venn diagrams: Where do math and biology intersect?

Posted December 20, 2016 by Briana K. Whitaker

Think back to some of the core materials you learned from a biology course, either in college or high school. What do you remember? Maybe you remember something about human anatomy, or the carbon cycle, the structure of cells, or how DNA is replicated? But do you ever immediately think about how math and biology… Read more »

An event like no other: Science Fest 2016

Posted October 20, 2016 by Briana K. Whitaker

You’d have to wonder what could bring close to 600 students, faculty, staff, and parent volunteers to the IU campus on a Saturday morning. They could instead be home mowing the lawn, enjoying a nice stack of pancakes at the Runcible Spoon, or sleeping in…..but no. This team of people is  on a mission to… Read more »

Soooo mysterious: The hidden fungi of plants.

Posted August 23, 2016 by Briana K. Whitaker

Have you ever picked a fallen leaf off the ground and wondered where it came from? Stared at the trees changing colors and losing their leaves above you, as those leaves ultimately find their way to the massive piles young kids like to jump into? Well, ever since I started delving into the strange and… Read more »

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