Tree Radiation Research Project

Hello!

Hi everyone. I'm Lynn Anderson-Carpenter, and I was trained to be a scientist.

Several years ago I started a project with Mary Osborn (from the Three Mile

Island Disaster) who sparked my interest in Radiation Research and the impacts

of radiation exposure on plants. She was a wealth of information regarding

what happened at Three Mile Island, and I began to realize how little is known

about the genetic impacts of radiation on plants in other areas like Fukushima.

Through my communication with Mary, I tried to soak up every ounce of

information I could, which would eventually lead to the next round of

investigation.

 

Our goal is to learn about the genetic impacts of radiation on plants, specifically long-lived trees. Although some research has started to address this, most results seem to lead to more questions than answers. We propose to incorporate cutting-edge techniques (next-generation sequencing), which can sequence whole genomes and give us a much more detailed look at how the trees are coping with this radiation exposure on a genetic level.  Then, we plan to use this data to create the first calibration curve between the number of mutations we detect and the known amount of radiation that was released.  Ultimately we hope to create a calibration curve that can be used anywhere that radiation is an issue to reconstruct the released dosage when numbers are not reported or known.  This is crucial if we are to understand the impacts of radiation on plans, animals, and humans!

 

Our plan is to collect samples, analyze data, and contribute knowledge to the scientific community. We are currently setting out around the world to first collect samples, analyze them and then ultimately publish our results in high-impact scientific journals as well as our blog.

 

We are requesting $5,000 to support our initial sampling expenses.  Once we obtain our samples, we will then write some grant proposals with our colleagues to fund the preliminary genetic analysis. Then, we hope to see some interesting patterns and address our hypotheses (listed on our webpage).

 

Thank you for reading our story, and for considering our cause. Have a wonderful day!