Ms Emma Akmakdjian1
1UCLA , Los Angeles , United States of America
In collaboration with the Braybrook lab at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), I will share data visualizations that invite viewers to compare the genetics of kelp across locations and time with the amino acid sequence of Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) in giant kelp (Macrocystis Pyrifera) collected in very different locations- Peru and California. I focus on this protein because it chaperones cells in response to environmental stressors.
The first sample was sequenced at the Laboratory of Mycology and Biotech at the Universidad Agraria La Molina (UNALM) in Peru. The Nuzhdin Lab sequenced the second protein of HSP70 at the University of Southern California (USC). Dr. Steven Beuder (Braybrook Lab, UCLA) performed an alignment to identify similarities and differences between the two HSP70 sequences. Then I ran the results through coding software to represent each protein through twenty different colors assimilating the grooved pattern of a kelp blade. Each illustration has many similarities but there are differences that visually describe how each algal ‘plant’ may respond differently to the increase in heat and toxicity of the subtidal in different locations. Climate change is challenging the limits of giant kelp as a species. With less than 10% of remaining kelp forests in many California regions, we must ask if kelp can evolve quickly enough to match accelerating environmental change, or will we need to genetically modify kelp to aid in its recovery from warming oceans? This is a question for interdisciplinary scholars and community members, including artists and scientists.
Presentation Slides – Emma Akmakdjian
Biography:
Emma Akmakdjian is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher collaborating with marine scientists to visualize climate data. Her focus is on Southern California kelp forest restoration and its influence on human culture. Akmakdjian is a graduate (MFA) candidate at UCLA Design | Media Arts with a certificate in Sustainability and Scientific Scuba Diving. She received her Bachelor of Arts from California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) and studied at L’Accademia di Belle Arti Florence, Italy.
