Rebecca Bacheler, a Rutgers–Camden graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in biology, is looking at fungi that penetrate plant roots to help their host plants obtain more water and nutrients they otherwise cannot access.
Bacheler’s goal is to better understand the biology, ecology, and distribution of these fungi so agriculturalists could add these fungi to their soil to benefit their plants.
“Rather than just working in a lab and getting samples that are delivered from somewhere else, I can extract my own samples right here and analyze them on site in our lab,” says Bacheler, a Cherry Hill resident.
Read more about Rebecca and about the Pinelands National Reserve.