Entries by Rebecca Hayes

Fungal community assembly in drought-stressed sorghum shows stochasticity, selection, and universal ecological dynamics (Nature Comms)

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Previously, crop-associated mycobiomes were thought to assemble largely under the control of deterministic selection by the plant host with limited influence from drift. This study by Gao et al., highlights the important role of stochastic processes in fungal community assembly, particularly in the hosts’ early developmental stages and following drought stress. They planted 18 plots […]

Postdocs’ lab engagement predicts trajectories of PhD students’ skill development (PNAS)

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When considering the traditional structure of mentorship in doctoral programs, it is easy to credit the doctoral advisor as the primary expert and liaison to their graduate students in a mentorship strategy known as the cognitive apprenticeship model. Contrary to this strategy is the cascading mentorship model, in which senior lab members at every stage […]

Scientific societies advancing STEM workforce diversity (bioRxiv)

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Due to their stability and far-reaching support at all career stages, scientific societies are uniquely well-equipped to serve as trail-blazers in promoting the advancement of under-represented minority (URM) scientists. Scientific societies that participate in diversity initiatives are ubiquitous, however studies on the long-term impact of member participation in such initiatives are largely absent. In this […]

Stories Plantarum E5: Upside Down and Underground Transcript

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Image Description: Graphic is a white rectangle with a green border that says “Stories Plantarum Ep. 5 Upside Down and Underground” over the Stories Plantarum logo, an icon of an open book with a plant growing from it. On the left side is an image of the Demogorgon from Netlfix’s Stranger Things. On the right […]

The five times that I came out (and thousands of times that I didn’t)

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According to the most recent data from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, an estimated 4.5% of the United States population identifies as LGBTQ+. Over the course of the past week, those approximately 11.3 million people watched while the United States Supreme Court began to deliberate whether LGBTQ+ folks are protected under Title VII of the 1964 […]

A Moment of Bravery

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Guest post by Rebecca Hayes for the LGBTQ+ Plant Scientist Network Pride Month Blog Series     I never intended to come out at work. I waitressed every weekend at a local diner in my conservative hometown while I was in high school and while working on my undergraduate degree. Seldom were the shifts in […]

Stories Plantarum E4: Deadly Dreams Transcript

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Image Description: Graphic is a white rectangle with a green border that says “Stories Plantarum Ep. 4 Deadly Dreams” over the Stories Plantarum logo, an icon of an open book with a plant growing from it. On the left side is a cartoon depiction of the Black Mercy from the DC Comics Universe. On the […]