Speaking from experience, you're setting yourself for a rough time. It's perfectly natural to want your research to be impactful, but that's not the goal of an undergraduate research project. The goal is for you to learn how to conduct a project with a limited, clearly defined scope. Look at the resources you have at your disposal, look at what your professors and their postdocs are doing, and see how your interests fit in.
Look into the azolla event and speculate if a similar set of conditions could arise again with the melting ice caps creating freshwater on top of salt and whether it'll save us from our own disaster.
Or just look into the azolla event and feel better that the planet may fix itself when we are done making it uninhabitable for ourselves
I am interested whether a growth cycle like this with a relatively complex but small and fast growing/short lived plant like azolla is more effective than algae for sequestration....
I’m currently doing research with sunflowers and their salt resistance. Trying to find real world applications from that. Whether that’s preventing wind erosion near coast lines or possibly a role in desalination. Maybe something along those lines?
I got invited to a conference next month to talk about it. I kind of stumbled onto it. I harass my professors for honors contracts and do an independent project. Last semester we just stuck some plants in sunflowers and I wrote a report and the college liked it a lot so I figured I was doing something right and stuck with it
I only do botany as a hobby, but back when I was thinking about getting into plant sciences, I recall reading a news article from Ontario about frost killing apple blossoms after a cold snap in the spring.
Made me wonder if it wasn't possible to take genes from something like "skunk weed" that cause thermogenesis, and put it into an apple tree, to see if it would generate its own heat and stave off issues like that.
Are you studying botany and does your thesis have to be botany related? If so botany might not be the best pathway for you… study something you’re passionate about and the work becomes much easier
Well it’s my last year of the degree. Botany chose me 🤣 although it wasn’t planned, I’m definitely interested in it. I’m just as lot more amateur than others. I’ve only done a year of botany.
Some titles that intrigue me are bioenergy crops and plant phenology changes from increased co2 concentrations. The problem with the latter is that it would be almost entirely computer programmed, and I’m not too good with that. Beginner level, where as that could need a more advanced level?
Figure out your research question, and then get coaching on what analytic methods you need. Then you learn just those. It‘s doable, as long as you focus just on what you need.
What are the requirements of your thesis? Does it have to be “hands-on” (you have to grow or gather something?), or can it be research based (hours spent gathering information via journals, or otherwise, from others that are doing the hands-on research)?
How big is this project? Is it the entirety of a class? Or is it a part of a class? Expectation of length of thesis? Expectation that it be publishable, or is it more for you to learn how to do research?
Why not go with something phenology related? Tons off interesting stuff there when you dig deeper. It gets exciting for sure. To spark your interest I suggest you read some articles and see where it takes you. Talk to a researcher at your university that works on something phenology related (if available of course) and ask for advice on a suitable thesis project. Maybe if you are lucky you find both a supervisor and a project in such an interaction. Just explore and it will pop up around the corner. Just trying to invent an interesting project or topic without much input is the worst strategy. You need to immerse yourself. Good luck!
Plant pollinator interactions are my favorite topic, there is so much nuance especially to floral traits that cater to specific pollinators.
Petal iridescence is a particularly fun one
Mine site rehabilitation with a fibre/pigment cash crop that extracts heavy metals from the soil?
I know of projects done with *Cannabis* and *Portulaca*, why not try something like Sunn Hemp *Crotalaria juncea*?
Easy enough project if you have mines nearby. Motivates the private sector to be environmentally responsible via profiting from a clean up. If your crop doesn't work, that in itself is noteworthy- "hey it's a good idea, but don't bother with this crop".
Phytoremediation is always a cool topic. I have my degree in ethnobotany, and that may be a topic to look into too.
Speaking from experience, you're setting yourself for a rough time. It's perfectly natural to want your research to be impactful, but that's not the goal of an undergraduate research project. The goal is for you to learn how to conduct a project with a limited, clearly defined scope. Look at the resources you have at your disposal, look at what your professors and their postdocs are doing, and see how your interests fit in.
Plasticity in plants always fascinated me.
Look into the azolla event and speculate if a similar set of conditions could arise again with the melting ice caps creating freshwater on top of salt and whether it'll save us from our own disaster. Or just look into the azolla event and feel better that the planet may fix itself when we are done making it uninhabitable for ourselves
Figure out how to make azolla farms for carbon and nitrogen sequestration.
Whoever invents saline tolerant Azolla has the opportunity to do the funniest thing in the world.
Study the salt tolerance of plants, and whether/how to use these genes/mechanism/whatever to make Azolla salt tolerant.
I am interested whether a growth cycle like this with a relatively complex but small and fast growing/short lived plant like azolla is more effective than algae for sequestration....
I’m currently doing research with sunflowers and their salt resistance. Trying to find real world applications from that. Whether that’s preventing wind erosion near coast lines or possibly a role in desalination. Maybe something along those lines?
Cool. How is that going? Also how did you reach this area of interest specifically?
I got invited to a conference next month to talk about it. I kind of stumbled onto it. I harass my professors for honors contracts and do an independent project. Last semester we just stuck some plants in sunflowers and I wrote a report and the college liked it a lot so I figured I was doing something right and stuck with it
I only do botany as a hobby, but back when I was thinking about getting into plant sciences, I recall reading a news article from Ontario about frost killing apple blossoms after a cold snap in the spring. Made me wonder if it wasn't possible to take genes from something like "skunk weed" that cause thermogenesis, and put it into an apple tree, to see if it would generate its own heat and stave off issues like that.
Skunk cabbage is another possibly more recognizable name for that…
Are you studying botany and does your thesis have to be botany related? If so botany might not be the best pathway for you… study something you’re passionate about and the work becomes much easier
Well it’s my last year of the degree. Botany chose me 🤣 although it wasn’t planned, I’m definitely interested in it. I’m just as lot more amateur than others. I’ve only done a year of botany. Some titles that intrigue me are bioenergy crops and plant phenology changes from increased co2 concentrations. The problem with the latter is that it would be almost entirely computer programmed, and I’m not too good with that. Beginner level, where as that could need a more advanced level?
Figure out your research question, and then get coaching on what analytic methods you need. Then you learn just those. It‘s doable, as long as you focus just on what you need.
Thanks, you’ve inspired me.
What are the requirements of your thesis? Does it have to be “hands-on” (you have to grow or gather something?), or can it be research based (hours spent gathering information via journals, or otherwise, from others that are doing the hands-on research)? How big is this project? Is it the entirety of a class? Or is it a part of a class? Expectation of length of thesis? Expectation that it be publishable, or is it more for you to learn how to do research?
Why not go with something phenology related? Tons off interesting stuff there when you dig deeper. It gets exciting for sure. To spark your interest I suggest you read some articles and see where it takes you. Talk to a researcher at your university that works on something phenology related (if available of course) and ask for advice on a suitable thesis project. Maybe if you are lucky you find both a supervisor and a project in such an interaction. Just explore and it will pop up around the corner. Just trying to invent an interesting project or topic without much input is the worst strategy. You need to immerse yourself. Good luck!
What are the invasive plant species in your area? Then question why it's invasive. It could be phenology, allelopathy, stress tolerance, etc.
Plant pollinator interactions are my favorite topic, there is so much nuance especially to floral traits that cater to specific pollinators. Petal iridescence is a particularly fun one
Asa gray disjunction
Do smth with Biogeography. Its really cool.
can grass motivate a person to complete studies or does it only ever de-motivate
Mine site rehabilitation with a fibre/pigment cash crop that extracts heavy metals from the soil? I know of projects done with *Cannabis* and *Portulaca*, why not try something like Sunn Hemp *Crotalaria juncea*? Easy enough project if you have mines nearby. Motivates the private sector to be environmentally responsible via profiting from a clean up. If your crop doesn't work, that in itself is noteworthy- "hey it's a good idea, but don't bother with this crop".
Bacteriophage applications as an alternative to antibiotics?
Nematodes are in rn we need the research for agriculture like citrus