B. S. - West Virginia University, 2000 Area of Emphasis: Biology - Plant Biology M. S. - The University of Tennessee, 2003 Area of Emphasis: Plant Physiology

“I’ve always been interested in plants, and took right to plant physiology my freshman year of college. I enjoy working in a discipline that has so many noticeable, applied benefits to society,” says Heather Toler, a Research Associate at the University of Tennessee.

Heather graduated from The University of Tennessee in May 2003 with a Masters of Science degree in Plant and Soil Science and an emphasis on plant physiology. “My time in graduate school prepared me for the variety of different things that a person can find themselves doing in the agricultural research field. Whether it’s working with statistics and software programs, troubleshooting lab equipment, or implementing greenhouse/field experiments, the University of Tennessee gave me the fundamentals that I needed to succeed.”

Currently, Heather is working in the area of mycorrhizal symbiosis and environmental plant physiology. Her responsibilities include setup and implementation of greenhouse experiments, field work with drought stress physiology experiments in a forest ecosystem at Oak Ridge TN, and root/mycorrhizal laboratory research. “The different aspects of my field keep me enthusiastic and intellectually stimulated. People don’t always consider mycorrhizal symbiosis when they think about how plants respond to their environment, but mycorrhiza are huge part of a plant’s everyday life.”