b"FEATURE STORYAbout Mote Marine LabWhen founded in 1955, the focus of Mote Marine Laboratory was to study the biology and behavior of sharks, including sharks ability to learn. Today it is an independent, nonprofit global leader in marine research.Motes research has expanded to include studies of humanAbove: Dr. Fanara on site at Mote Laboratory cancer using marine models and the effects of man-madeBelow: Jane the Otter enjoys her favorite stick at Mote Aquariumand natural toxins on humans and on the environment. Mote also researches the health of wild fisheries, the development of sustainable and successful fish restocking techniques and food production technologies, as well as the development of ocean technology to help us better understand the health of the environment.Recently, Mote has extended its long-time partnership with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), joining the Red Tide Task Forceand supporting the development of technologies that will address the impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the State. Tracy, you were nominated as a Water Hero because of your enthusiasm and passion for public relations work at Mote. How did you become so passionate about water?Tracy:My passion for water comes from the strugglesAlsoas a kid, I lived near Buffalo, New York, so I was I faced in my childhood. I was born with a conditionalso influenced by the environmental disaster in a local called blue baby syndromealso known as infantneighborhood called Love Canal. Imagineas a fourth-methemoglobinemia. graderbeing told how industries dumped toxins in your community. Imagine how that would shape your views on It's a condition that turns the skin blue and occurs dueenvironmental issues when you grew up.to a decreased amount of hemoglobin in the blood. If youre unfamiliar with hemoglobinits a protein thatsPeople built houses and schools in those areas with responsible for carrying all the oxygen in your blood.contaminated groundwaterand were exposed to conditions for years!When babies are exposed to drinking water sources polluted with excess nitrates, their bodies naturallyYou could map the cancer clusters and birth defects in the convert these nitrates into nitrites. And its these nitritessurrounding areas. My mom had cancer at 28, and my best that bind with hemoglobin to disable the proteins abilityfriend's mom had Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in her 20s. to carry oxygen. I cant say the cause was the Love Canal disaster, but it There are a number of different places we get nitratesalways stuck with me as a possibility. It made me realize from, but its mostly from fertilizers and other agriculturalhow everything in this world is connected and that what waste dumps. Knowing that I may have been a victim ofwe put into the environment eventually comes back to water pollution has always driven me to protect othersaffect our health. It made me realize I wanted to be a from a similar situation. scientist and make a difference. Whos Minding the Planet? 29"