Bonnie Brown, Ph.D., professor and chair, Biological Sciences department, University of New Hampshire

For professor Bonnie Brown, chair of the Biological Sciences department at the University of New Hampshire, a close study of her subject yields pearls of ecological wisdom, if not actual pearls. Through her research, she has developed an intimate understanding of aquaculture; in particular, oysters.

Sharing an idea known as the Gaia Principle, Brown explains that organisms on Earth tend to make our planet more and more habitable.

“The concept,” Brown explains, “is that most organisms end up making the world a better place. … Oysters do that. They serve as food for organisms, but also they build reefs. And those oyster reefs are habitat for all kinds of things, especially fish.”

Although human activity has impacted oyster habitats, Brown is not opposed to harvesting meals from the sea. She thinks, though, a shift toward aquaculture is needed. Oysters are a good example of a species now typically farmed.

“Take everything from the wild? That just doesn’t even make sense, because then there’s nothing left for our kids and our grandkids,” she says. “I like the idea that we’re growing what we need.”

Brown is excited at the interdisciplinary crossover she sees in science today. Working under Land, Sea and Space grant status, she supervises scientists who aren’t “siloed” in their own limited areas of study.

“We worked with physicists the other night,” Brown recalls. “It’s just the attitude that they don’t want to just protect themselves and their own resources. They’re truly interested in each other.”

This atmosphere of academic openness at UNH may help create the conditions for productive research.

“I haven’t had a team that was this good since about 1994,” Brown says. “So, I’ve been waiting 30 years to get a team of graduate students that’s this good.