Talking fungi: This high school grad is studying how plants communicate like a pro

Talking fungi: This high school grad is studying how plants communicate like a pro

In Lara Mueller’s lab at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, dead plants are OK. “Don’t worry, it’s on purpose,” said Kelly Semtner, Mueller’s high school intern, gesturing at a row of wilted potted plants lit by ultraviolet LEDs. The plants have been harvested for seeds to conduct experiments on, all for the sake of investigating how plants communicate. Because, yes, sometimes they do that. The Salk Institute is a research nonprofit orga…

High school students join Salk Institute labs for summer internships

High Tech High Mesa graduate Kelly Semtner spent the summer studying how plants and fungi exchange nutrients.