Name: Kristine Hill
Title: Postdoctoral Research Associate
Place of Work or School: Dartmouth College
Research Area: Cytokinin Signaling
Member since: 2006

1. Why has being a member of ASPB been important to you?
Posting my CV on the ASPB website and networking at the 2007 meeting in Chicago were instrumental to my finding the right postdoctoral position, and an ASPB travel grant enabled me to attend the aforementioned meeting. It was my time as an undergraduate researcher that really got me hooked on science, so I like that the ASPB is a big advocate of undergraduate research. I believe that being connected to the larger plant biology community is important when it comes to nurturing students, fostering collaborations, or considering career directions.

2. Was someone instrumental in getting you to join ASPB?
No one person. I had been meaning to join since I started grad school. I just never got around to it until I was ready to graduate.

3. What would you tell colleagues to encourage them to join?
If they expressed an interest, I would certainly recommend they join.

4. Have you enhanced your career using ASPB job postings or through networking at an ASPB function?
I had been browsing through the Job Bank years before I was ready to graduate to get a feel as to the sort of positions that were out there. I posted my CV on the ASPB site at the beginning of my job search and was pleasantly surprised when several employers contacted me. The ASPB meeting in Chicago enabled me to meet with a number of potential employers, including my current one.

5. Have you had any success at finding candidates as a result of a job posting at the meeting or via our online Job Bank?
When I head my own research group, I will definitely take advantage of meetings to meet up with potential candidates.

6. Do you read print journals? If so, where do you usually read them?
Rarely; if I want a hard copy of an article, I will print it off the web. Mostly I read and take notes from electronic copies.

7. What do you think is the next “big thing” in plant biology?
I would love to figure that one out before setting up my own research program!

8. What person, living or deceased, do you most admire?
Jane Goodall, because she defied convention when she traveled to Africa as a young woman and when she gave names to the chimps she was studying, and because her achievements, energy, and optimism are inspirational.

9. What are you reading these days?
You mean other than science papers? I am a big fan of Terry Pratchett, so it’s a good bet I have one of his novels on hand. Currently, I have just started reading Dian Fossey’s Gorillas in the Mist, and I am working my way through several textbooks about medieval Europe.

10. What are your hobbies?
I study religions, old and new. I am fascinated with gods, especially those of the ancient Egyptians, and I am attempting to learn to decipher hieroglyphics. As an untalented artist, I create my own renditions of Egypt’s ancient mythologies, which incorporate my endeavors to learn some of the hieroglyphics. I write a lot, too, mostly philosophy, and make sporadic attempts to master Latin or Spanish.

11. What is your most treasured possession?
I adore our cats, but really they own us. I do treasure a cardigan that my grandmother made for me.

12. What do you still have left to learn?
When I was 15 years old, I was convinced I knew everything there was to know. I have since learned that with learning comes an increased awareness of one’s own ignorance. On a more pragmatic note, I would really like to nail a second language.