Grace Phillips, a senior at Mamaroneck High School, has been named a finalist in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search. Phillips worked as a Cullman intern at the Garden for more than two years with graduate student Rachel Meyer on research related to the domestication of the eggplant. It is for this research that she is being recognized.  In March, Grace will travel to Washington, D.C.,–along with the 39 other finalists–to participate in final judging, display her work to the public, meet Nobel laureates, and to find out if she has won the top prize of $100,000.

In addition to being a tasty treat, the eggplant has been also cultivated for ages–from India, to China, and to the Pacific Islands–for the plant’s medicinal values. Hundreds, if not thousands, of local variations of the eggplant exist throughout Asia, varying widely in size, shape, color, and flavor; and are used medically for a variety of purposes. It is likely that the medicinal values of the eggplant come from a variety of potent antioxidant compounds found within the fruits.

Phillips studied what impact the role of centuries of human selection–based on taste and medicinal properties–have had upon the eggplant genome. This involved first studying the chemicals that are thought to be responsible for the gastronomic and therapeutic properties of the various local variations (also known as landraces). By correlating the presence of specific antioxidant compounds to specific tastes and medicinal attributes Phillips attempted to answer a simple question: Are certain medicinal uses of eggplants always associated with high concentrations of specific compounds?

After determining the various chemical compounds within the eggplants, Grace then began to study the genes that are directly related to the synthesis of these compounds, looking for correlations between gene activity and compound abundance. Phillips was then able to put all this information together and pose one final question: Are certain taste and medicinal qualities correlated with high levels of specific gene? Or, in other words: As humans selected for eggplants with specific culinary and therapeutic properties, what effect did this intervention have on the eggplant genome and on the plant’s gene functions?

Grace is one of seven finalists from New York State, second only to California’s 11 finalists. She appears to be the only finalist working in the field of plant sciences, and one of only a handful of students studying organismal diversity/evolutionary questions.  Grace’s work continues a long heritage of scientific study at The New York Botanical Garden on questions of plant diversity, human-plant interactions, and plant conservation. Everyone here at the Garden applauds Grace’s fantastic work and wishes her the best of luck in March!

Ed. note: NYBG scientist and Mary Flagler Cary Curator of Botany, Bill Buck is currently on expedition to the islands off Cape Horn, the southernmost point in South America, to study mosses and lichens. Follow his journeys on Plant Talk.

January 23, 2011, Isla Grande de la Tierra del Fuego, Puerto Consuelo, Seno Chasco, Chile, 54° 32′S, 71° 31′W

Although I am writing this blog daily, it is often impossible to send it. We were told that the modem that we rented would work anywhere, but in reality it needs a clear view to the north. Often times, though, our ship is anchored in a sheltered area with tall, snow-capped mountains on most sides of us. With the severe and changeable weather here, the saying “any port in a storm” takes on extra meaning! So, I continue to write and send them out whenever the modem decides it is in the mood.

Early this morning (5 a.m.) the captain moved the ship from our previous site to the sound directly west. When I awoke to the engine starting, I knew it would be 3-4 hours before we reached our next site, and that we could sleep in for awhile. Maybe an hour later it became obvious that we had left the protected sound for more open waters. The ship started rocking violently. For most of us, it was like rocking a baby in a cradle and put us back to sleep. Only one person felt a little queasy and had to take something for seasickness. Fortunately, so far, no one has actually gotten sick. In my previous trip to the region, on our second day our, we hit a large storm which crashed 12 foot waves over the ship for hours on end. As our bunkroom was transformed into a vomitorium, I was the only non-crew member who didn’t get sick. Since our bunkroom on this trip has minimal ventilation at best, it is a true blessing that this time no one has gotten sick.

It was immediately obvious when we entered the next sound, suddenly the waters were much calmer. At about 8:30 a.m., the ship stopped. I assumed that meant we were at our next site. Such was not the case. Rather, we were taking on  fresh water. To do this, the ship will pull up to a waterfall and one of the crew scrambles up the cliff face with a plastic bucket that is outfitted with a hose coming out of the bottom of it. The bucket goes into the waterfall and the end of the hose is placed into the hatch of the water tank, on top of the ship. We are in a totally uninhabited place, one that gets around 12 feet of rain a year, much of which at higher elevations falls as snow. So even in mid-summer, given that there are no large mammals to pollute it, the snow-melt water is pure and cold, which is good because it is the only fresh water we have. After watching the crew member (José) go up the cliff face like a monkey, I told him now we just need to teach him to collect mosses!

Read more about Bill’s adventures below.

Abstraction on the Seasonal Border.

(photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)