My name is Nosa Ali and I am senior at Roosevelt High School and Central Academy in Des Moines, Iowa. Science has been around me all my life whether I acknowledged it or not. I was born in a small village in Sudan where technology was not always the answer to people's’ problems but research and innovation always led to solutions. Every day was a day for research, whether it was trying to figure out the exact amount of days to leave the Kisra paste (a sour Sudanese flat bread) enclosed in a container so the desired level of fermentation is achieved or designing a fan that would mist cool water especially for hot summer days.
I grew to value and enjoy scientific research because it was a part of me, my family, and culture. I grew to appreciate that a scientist is not always one that works in lab, but anyone who is willing to better the lives of people by researching the smallest everyday issues. My first ever submitted science fair project was in second grade when I learned about Thomas Edison and wanted to recreate his light bulb experiment by using the fewest amount of batteries to conduct the brightest amount of light possible. I have continued to be involved in Scientific research ever since and could not invision my future without it.
My last high school science experiment was conducted in Londrina, Brazil at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation as part of the World Food Prize Boralug-Ruan International Internship. The experiment was based on the developing and characterization of transgenic soybean plants transformed for drought tolerance. The goal of the project was to produce drought tolerant soybean for local Brazilian farmers. I was able to meet with and interview several Brazilian farmers in order to understand the issues they felt were most concerning, which unanimously was climate change increasing drought condition.
For Part 1 of the experiment seeds were transformed in the Embrapa lab using agrobacterium and transformation protocol Agrobacterium tumefaciens (ISU). Mature seeds were then harvested from the transgenic plants. The soybean seeds where then germinated under ideal conditions and after 4-5 days were transferred into soiled pots in the greenhouse. After the plants grew to V2 stage, leaves were collected for DNA extraction. The DNA extraction was performed following the Vegetal DNA Extraction (Doyle & Doyle) After the DNA extraction PCR reaction was performed using specific primers to amplify the gene. Part 2 involved checking the performance of the transgenic plants under drought stress greenhouse conditions. The seeds were potted and randomized within their respective blocks to ensure that no one plant receives a certain condition. Both conventional and transgenic plants were allowed to reach V2 stage then covered with plastic cover to initiate drought conditions. Only the control plants continued to receive water. Plants physical appearance was analyzed, water consumption was monitored, and Photosynthesis was measured after drought conditions were obtained.
Due to the limited time I spent at EMBRAPA, I was not able to fully complete my project and did not experience significant failures. However, I understand that there will be obstacles in the future with my experiment. My research was only an initial step in identifying GolS as a prime gene for drought resistance. Many more trials will need to be carried out in the greenhouse before the transgenic soybean plants can officially be drought resistant and ready for the market. Although I had great results for my first trial, 92% transformation efficiency, It is recommended that trials up to generation four be administered because the first three generations lack stability and usually produce seeds that may not be positive to the desired gene. This method can be vital to many regions around the world where drought is common or other desired traits are needed.
This project has taught me that science is not just about individual work but is also a global social network where people can mingle and spread knowledge. My lab protocols were resources that EMBRAPA scientists learned from all over the world, even Iowa! You never really know, maybe someday my own protocol will be used by scientists in a world renowned laboratory!
I grew to value and enjoy scientific research because it was a part of me, my family, and culture. I grew to appreciate that a scientist is not always one that works in lab, but anyone who is willing to better the lives of people by researching the smallest everyday issues. My first ever submitted science fair project was in second grade when I learned about Thomas Edison and wanted to recreate his light bulb experiment by using the fewest amount of batteries to conduct the brightest amount of light possible. I have continued to be involved in Scientific research ever since and could not invision my future without it.
My last high school science experiment was conducted in Londrina, Brazil at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation as part of the World Food Prize Boralug-Ruan International Internship. The experiment was based on the developing and characterization of transgenic soybean plants transformed for drought tolerance. The goal of the project was to produce drought tolerant soybean for local Brazilian farmers. I was able to meet with and interview several Brazilian farmers in order to understand the issues they felt were most concerning, which unanimously was climate change increasing drought condition.
For Part 1 of the experiment seeds were transformed in the Embrapa lab using agrobacterium and transformation protocol Agrobacterium tumefaciens (ISU). Mature seeds were then harvested from the transgenic plants. The soybean seeds where then germinated under ideal conditions and after 4-5 days were transferred into soiled pots in the greenhouse. After the plants grew to V2 stage, leaves were collected for DNA extraction. The DNA extraction was performed following the Vegetal DNA Extraction (Doyle & Doyle) After the DNA extraction PCR reaction was performed using specific primers to amplify the gene. Part 2 involved checking the performance of the transgenic plants under drought stress greenhouse conditions. The seeds were potted and randomized within their respective blocks to ensure that no one plant receives a certain condition. Both conventional and transgenic plants were allowed to reach V2 stage then covered with plastic cover to initiate drought conditions. Only the control plants continued to receive water. Plants physical appearance was analyzed, water consumption was monitored, and Photosynthesis was measured after drought conditions were obtained.
Due to the limited time I spent at EMBRAPA, I was not able to fully complete my project and did not experience significant failures. However, I understand that there will be obstacles in the future with my experiment. My research was only an initial step in identifying GolS as a prime gene for drought resistance. Many more trials will need to be carried out in the greenhouse before the transgenic soybean plants can officially be drought resistant and ready for the market. Although I had great results for my first trial, 92% transformation efficiency, It is recommended that trials up to generation four be administered because the first three generations lack stability and usually produce seeds that may not be positive to the desired gene. This method can be vital to many regions around the world where drought is common or other desired traits are needed.
This project has taught me that science is not just about individual work but is also a global social network where people can mingle and spread knowledge. My lab protocols were resources that EMBRAPA scientists learned from all over the world, even Iowa! You never really know, maybe someday my own protocol will be used by scientists in a world renowned laboratory!