The Geisler & Geisler-Lee Laboratory does novel projects to seek new knowledge with current/advanced technology. But the Laboratory also apply old understanding and technology to explore unknown topics.

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Dr. Geisler

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Dr. Geisler-Lee

1. Silver nanotoxicology in Arabidopsis thaliana

 

In the past 10 years, my research has been focusing on silver nanotoxicology to understand how emerging contaminants - man-made engineered silver nanoparticles - affect Arabidopsis plants in whole plant, cellular and molecular level. In the past year, the research has been expanded to a micro-ecosystem amended with wastewater and biosolids containing metal nanoparticles.

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In the uptake, transport and accumulation of nanomaterials, I have been studying higher plants (e.g., A. thaliana), ferns (e.g., Azolla caroliniana) and mosses (e.g., Physcomitrella paten). Gradually the studies will be expanded to different levels, i.e., whole plant, cellular and molecular level.

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​2. Conspecific root-root interaction when Arabidopsis thaliana is in intraspecific competition

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Competition for light, water and nutrients is the most widely studied plant-plant interaction. Shoots strive to grow faster than their competitors, while roots may expand to exploit soil resources more extensively by lateral root branching. In addition to transcriptomic and interactomic studies, in the recent years, the emerging field of phenomics (study of phenotypes) has infused new and exciting understanding of root-root interaction in my intraspecific (same species) competition research.

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A systems biology approach has been applied to the above directions: nanotoxicology and intraspecific competition.

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3. Scientific illustration

I have had the opportunity to work with three undergraduate students in studio art, photography and film to illustrate biology in ceramic models, traditional photo prints and a short film. It has been a rewarding process to see how biology could be presented! Scientific illustration is an excellent venue to outreach the public.

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