Dr. Heidi M. Appel

Biography

As a chemical ecologist, she studied how plants cope with stresses, especially insect pests. Her work in chemical ecology, much of it done in collaboration with Jack Schultz, uses approaches ranging from gene expression to phytochemistry and insect response to understand how plants tell pests apart and defend appropriately.  Some insects manipulate plant genes to defeat defenses and improve the plant as food. Insects that cause galls on plants are extraordinary examples of this and another current project in the Schultz / Appel lab. More recently,she discovered with collaborator Rex Cocroft that plants can detect and selectively respond to the feeding vibrations of insect pests, providing the first example of a sense of 'hearing' in the plant world. A strong proponent and active practitioner of science communication, she is a veteran of many successful efforts in public outreach while at PSU. At MU, She focused on providing student journalists with an understanding of the nature of science, and teaching science communication to science and journalism students. 

Research Interest

Her research focuses on the chemical ecology of interactions between insects and plants.