Flower Power

How sunflowers can clean up the environment

Catie Kitrinos (Col '15) in the lab with her sunflowers.

After both the Fukushima and Chernobyl nuclear disasters, sunflower fields were planted across the affected areas. The tall flowers, native to the Americas, can absorb toxic metals and radiation out of the soil.

Rising fourth-year student Catie Kitrinos (Col ’15), a biology and anthropology major, is researching genetic variation in sunflowers as part of her Harrison Undergraduate Research Award, with the aim of mapping sunflowers’ ability to absorb heavy metals across its genome.

Over the course of the next year, she’ll help plant close to 1,700 sunflowers in the lab of assistant professor of biology Benjamin Blackman, testing between 250 and 280 genotypes for their ability to absorb zinc and copper, common elements found in fertilizers, pollution and runoff.

Her goal is to find the best sunflower breed to use in environmental cleanup.

Highlights

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From a chance encounter on Tinder to a proposal painted on Beta Bridge

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The new aid thresholds will apply to all Virginians enrolled during the next academic year, no matter what year in school they are.

In early decision round, 30 percent of Virginian applicants win offers

Offers were extended to 30 percent of Virginians and 19 percent of out-of-state students who applied during the first of UVA’s three admissions cycles.