Wildfires

EDGE Pilot Grant Seeds Groundbreaking Biochemical Research

In 2021, Ashleigh Theberge, a chemistry professor at the University of Washington (UW), applied for a pilot grant from the Interdisciplinary Center for Exposures, Diseases, Genomics & Environment (EDGE) to test a field application of a new remote blood sampling system. Theberge and her team were interested in how people respond to wildfire smoke exposure. Specifically, they wanted to measure levels of ribonucleic acid (RNA) in white blood cells before, during, and after wildfire smoke events.

Facing wildfire smoke amid COVID-19

When Jake asked me to go on a sunset hike, I knew what was coming. We were in our favorite place: the Methow Valley of Eastern Washington. When we crested the top of the mountain, a few sunrays peeked through the clouds, lighting up the fertile valley below.

Still, when he got down on one knee, I was surprised, and overcome with happiness. Life seemed full of promise.