As a research group, we use Arabidopsis stomatal development as a model for understanding how asymmetric cell division, cell-cell communication and long distance communication work together to establish cell fate and tissue patterning. This genetic system affords a unique opportunity to study the integration of genetic and environmental inputs into a simple binary cell fate decision. I am particularly interested in the symmetry breaking events that characterize stomatal development and hope one day to get back to the bench to study them.