For my twenty-first birthday, my parents gave me a gum tree seedling. It was a young Eucalyptus rossii and we planted it in the their front garden. It was only about 50cm high. The species was significant because I had conducted a high school project on this species, or rather on the moth larvae that … Continue reading
Last week I attended the Geological Society of America’s 2017 meeting in Seattle with 6,500+ other delegates. I was an invited speaker for the ‘The Role of Silica in the Earth System: From Organisms to Global Biogeochemical Cycles’ session. Two synthesis talks (an excellent presentation by Dr Elizabeth Tower on The role of silica as … Continue reading
Originally posted on Functional Ecology – plain language summaries:
Sean M. Gleason, Andrea E. A. Stephens, Wade C. Tozer, Chris J. Blackman, Don W. Butler, Yvonne Chang, Alicia M. Cook, Julia Cooke, Claire A. Laws, Julieta A. Rosell, Stephanie A. Stuart, Mark Westoby Plant species differ in the rate of elongation and thickening of individual…
Each May I’m involved in live broadcasts, across three evenings, from a field with a ridge and furrow system on The Open University campus. We take students from S206 (Environmental Science) through the process of a field investigation and these fieldcasts are designed to both increase student confidence in field science and to give students unable access to other fieldwork opportunities … Continue reading
“Open University ‘plant accountant’, Dr Julia Cooke, will take you through a unique series of stories about some of the world’s most interesting plants. From giant sequoia trees, bigger than the blue whale, to festive mistletoes that are ingenious parasites. Dr Cooke will tease out the ways that plants invest, get returns and make bets in … Continue reading
The podcast I recorded with in situ Science is available here. I really enjoy listening to podcasts and so I was very happy when Dr James O’Hanlon invited me to make a recording for one of my favourites: in situ Science. We chat as we walk though Lane Cove National Park, searching for the population of flying duck orchids … Continue reading
The e-book from our Frontiers Research topic on ‘Plant silicon interactions between organisms and the implications for ecosystems‘ in now available on the Frontiers website: http://www.frontiersin.org/books/Plant_Silicon_Interactions_between_Organisms_and_the_Implications_for_Ecosystems/1112 or on the Research Topic page: http://journal.frontiersin.org/researchtopic/2077/plant-silicon-interactions-between-organisms-and-the-implications-for-ecosystems The issue focuses on new work and includes 9 papers grouped into three categories: Novel methods and fresh approaches, innovative herbivore defence experiments, and new insights into plant … Continue reading
**The application window for these projects is now closed** There are two NERC funded PhD studentships advertised with me at The Open University: Siliceous wood: does silicon matter to plants beyond leaves? Sexually deceptive orchid pollination strategies: is one true love or broad sex appeal best? Have a look at the project descriptions in the links or … Continue reading
A couple of weeks ago, I gave a talk at a new event called Science Uncovered at the Ulster Museum in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was an evening where the museum threw open its doors after normal hours, and filled its display space with music from a DJ. There were lots of hands on, interactive … Continue reading
I’m often asked about where degrees in environmental or biological sciences can take you. Being an academic, my own career choice is only an example, and one that represents only a very small percentage of graduates. Certainly “being a scientist” doesn’t cut it either as the huge range opportunities and possibilities extends well beyond this. Many … Continue reading
