Time for TARTLE to deliver another good news shoutout on big data. With so much bad news flying around on a constant basis, it’s good to take a moment every now and then to stop and appreciate the good that some people are trying to do.
Today’s shoutout goes to Siobhan Brady, a geneticist currently at the University of California. She began her research career investigating types of grasses that can actually absorb toxic heavy metals from the ground. Imagine being able to remove toxic metals and chemicals from the ground with something as simple as grass? If one could isolate the genes responsible, it would be a fairly simple matter to breed new species of grass that would be specialized to absorb even more. The grass could then be harvested and the concentrated chemicals within would be contained. This would make it possible to clean up industrial accidents, old manufacturing sites built before there were any kind of regulations, or even just the generic soil contamination that is found even in non-industrial areas like Alaska thanks to contaminants getting into the upper atmosphere and landing all over the world, reclaiming it all for nature, for housing or farmland.
Even with a greater focus on environmentally friendly energy such an advance would be important. Solar panels and batteries like those used in electric cars cause a large amount of heavy metal pollution. While that fact shows there are trade-offs and downsides to almost anything, metal absorbing grass would go a long way to mitigate that particular downside. Unfortunately, Brady was never able to isolate the particular genes needed to bring that goal to fruition.
Never one to stay down long, Siobhan did manage to learn how genes affect root propagation in these grasses, she also took her knowledge and growing expertise to Duke, continuing her efforts in root development. When that project eventually ran out of funding, the scientist adapted once again, this time applying herself to studying tomato and sorghum plants. The result is a paper awaiting publication that could pave the way to breeding plants that are better able to deal with harsh environments. That in itself could prove to be very useful as the environment continues to change, affecting where we can grow sufficient crops to feed the global population. If we can learn to grow them in cooler or warmer temperatures than is currently possible, that could greatly improve the overall food supply.
Academic and research setbacks are not the only troubles that Brady has experienced. In 2016 Siobhan was in Ethiopia for her research when anti-government protests broke out. Their car got caught in a riot and a rock struck and killed a colleague riding with her. While many would have given in either to anger or to despair and given up, Brady took a different route. With her colleague Sharon’s husband she started a fund dedicated to the educating and training of Ethiopian scientists, with a particular focus on training women.
Perhaps this, more than anything is what sets Siobhan Brady apart. When faced with death, hate, and adversity of many kinds, her response is never to give up. She adapts, she finds a new way to pursue the good, to help others. She gives of herself to help understand and improve our environment while improving educational opportunities for others, two of the TARTLE Big Seven. In short, this young scientist represents the best that humanity has to offer, seeking to elevate others. TARTLE recognizes this and so elevates her in the hopes that others will follow her excellent example and give back to the world for the good of us all.
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