email:
pmurakami@fs.fed.us
Education:
The University of
Vermont,
Burlington, VT, MS Forestry, 1994.
Villanova
University, Villanova, PA, BS Biology, 1990.
Job
description:
My research focus involves trying to understand why leaves change color,
specifically to red, in response to environmental stresses. I am
particularly interested in how anthocyanins may function as foliar
antioxidants and why this may be advantageous to overall tree health. My
project’s close collaboration with The University of Vermont (UVM) has
afforded me numerous opportunities to work with graduate students and
scientific staff there. On occasion I teach Dendrology at UVM during the
fall semester, and currently I serve as the Safety Officer for the
Burlington research station.
My duties as a research technician are quite diverse and I must admit that I
truly appreciate the variety. In the laboratory, some of my duties include
analyzing foliar and woody tissues for carbohydrates using high performance
liquid chromatography. I also conduct foliar pigment and antioxidant assays
using UV/VIS spectrophotometry. In addition, I have considerable experience
using both light and fluorescence microscopy. In the office, I enter and
statistically analyze data, conduct literature searches, and contribute as
an author to scientific papers published by my project. I am likely
considered the lab’s “expert” in creating scientific posters and am often
called upon to demonstrate my creative skills in this manner. I welcome
these opportunities to be creative and have some fun. Thankfully, my job
also includes opportunities for field work, especially during autumn!
Outside of work, I am a mother of two, active little boys. I enjoy hiking
and playing outdoors with my family. I hold a private pilot’s certificate
in hot air ballooning and serve as a member of a creative design team for a
local scrapbook store.
Paula
Murakami