2017 Highlights!

What an amazing year! 2017 was a year of achievements and excitement. Thank you to all who have supported us throughout the year.  Below are my (Laura Boykin) favorite things.

1. Pocket DNA Sequencing for farmers!  We launched the Cassava Virus Action Project and successfully diagnosed sick plants in Tanzania and Uganda within 48 hours PLUS provided the correct variety to the farmers.
2. Selected for a TED Senior Fellowship 2017
   1. TED 2017 in Vancouver, Canada
   2. TED Senior Fellows Salon in NYC (saw my first Broadway show on Broadway!)
   3. TED Global, Arusha Tanzania and hosted 2 workshops.
3. Won the Gifted Citizen Prize for 2017!  More pocket DNA sequencing for farmers in 2018 and beyond!
4. Launch of Whiteflybase.  Anders Savill worked extremely hard to create a useful species ID tool for B. tabaci.
5. Our team remained solid and united as we gained freedom from toxic 'collaborators'. 
6. Team published 8 papers 
   1. Just to highlight one very impactful paper- We uncovered a DAG motif in CBSV which points to other vectors besides whiteflies. Elijah- thank you.
7. I met Sauti Sol in Arusha! These gentlemen are even nicer in person than I ever imagined. I am hopeful we collaborate in Feb. 2018 when I am in Kenya!
8. I met Dr. Kizza Besigye, he is an inspiration to me and enjoying a meal at his house in Uganda was a huge highlight for me.  We had chicken and salad and sat and talked for hours about politics and farmers and science.  
9. Traveled lots of amazing places: 
   1. Canada- peaceful and cold and home of TED.
   2. USA- my beloved country that is struggling with a dictator who is ruining so many things.
   3. Madagascar- the poorest place I have ever visited.  Farmers and people here need our help NOW.
   4. Thailand- very vulnerable to cassava plant viruses, labs need to be built, scientists need resources.
   5. Brazil- a country dealing with financial issues, amazing science, home of cassava.
   6. Tanzania- needs biotechnology, farmers struggling, power and water and internet needed.
   7. Uganda- removal of the dictator, farmers really struggling, power, water and internet needed too.
   8. Ireland- Brexit has them shook, amazing computational biologists, cold yet warm.
   9. Mexico- alive, innovation, a country on the rise.
   10. Melbourne- a place I learned about pocket DNA sequencing with my friend Monica Kehoe. Magic.
   11. United Kingdom- a country divided, the BBC was amazing, genomic technology.
10. Attended United Nations Solution Summit Bootcamp in Denver.
11. Serena (4th grader) picked me for her scientist inspiration and made the coolest poster.
12. Lots of media coverage including BBC, BBC Radio,  CNN, The Economist , TED Blog and many more!
13. Many outreach lectures including in my hometown a 7th grade science class full of amazing young girls who love science.  
14. The teams at MARI in Tanzania and NaCRRI in Uganda inspire me to be a better human. The drivers, technicians, admin assistants, guards and all- you were a highlight for me.
15. Collaborators- Monica, Laura, Joseph, Titus, Peter, Fred, Elijah, Patrick, Renate, Sunadda, Paul- thank you for standing by me and focusing on the science.  2018 we soar even higher.