Looking for the perfect tree partner – SLU’s hope in Forskar Grand Prix

“The Researcher´s Grand Prix is a step in the right direction to show society that science is not a ‘black box’, but something everyone can understand and engage with,” says Laura García Romañach, a PhD student at the Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC) and the Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology at SLU.

She believes that scientists need to explore new ways of communicating their research to counteract public mistrust of science – as has been seen with regard to vaccines and climate change, for example.

SciFest, the science festival, runs from 9–11 October at Fyrishov in Uppsala. On Friday afternoon, the national semi-final of The Researcher´s Grand Prix will be held on the SciFest stage, organised by the organisation Public & Science. The challenge: present your research in just four minutes in a way that is engaging, fun and accessible. Alongside Laura, researchers from Uppsala University, Karlstad University and Linnaeus University will also compete.

Laura’s PhD project aims to make trees flower earlier, enabling the forestry industry to speed up its breeding programmes.

“In tree breeding, scientists have to wait until trees flower and reach maturity before they can be bred. If we can shorten that waiting time and make trees flower earlier, we can breed them faster,” she explains.

“To achieve this, I’m studying a natural mechanism that causes early flowering by ‘tricking’ trees into believing they are older than they actually are.”

Given the increasing impact of climate change on forests – through floods, wildfires and droughts – Laura’s research could help develop trees that adapt more quickly to changing environments.

To make her research more relatable, Laura will use dating apps as a metaphor in her presentation. The title is Tinder on steroids: looking for the perfect tree partner.

“While human breeding would obviously be unethical, dating apps work in a similar way, matching people with shared interests and personalities. I think the Tinder metaphor will help the audience understand what tree breeding is and how it works – and most importantly, that humans are more similar to trees than we think.”

Laura admits that she is both nervous and excited about the competition, in which students from upper secondary schools in Uppsala and a jury will decide who qualifies for the national final in Stockholm. 

“I’m really looking forward to meeting others who are passionate about science communication. I’ll be very happy if the audience understands my research and feels curious and inspired.”

Läs mer 

Researcher´s Grand Prix

SciFest