I'm Julia Ball, an undergraduate studying Horticultural Science at the University of Florida.
Originally from Orlando, I grew up playing soccer and catching lizards in the Florida sun. After graduating high school, I pursued a Horticultural Science degree at the University of Florida to learn more about the magnificent organisms that sustain our lives, plants.
In 2022, I became an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Miguel Acevedo's Quantitative Ecology Lab 2.0, researching disease dynamics in Puerto Rican anoles. My experience with the UF Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department taught me how to look at agriculture through an ecological lens and broadened my perspectives in plant science.
At the beginning of 2024, I joined Dr. Jeongim Kim's Biochemical Genetics Laboratory in the Horticultural Sciences Department. Here, I work with the medicinal plant Scutellaria, commonly known as skullcap, using metabolic engineering to improve the pharmacological properties of this fascinating herb. You can check out our lab's website here!