About Briana

Dr. Briana Abrahms is an assistant professor of biology at the University of Washington. Growing up in Seattle, she was interested in science and nature from a very young age, and did a lot of tree climbing and behavioral experiments on her pet dog. What really got her hooked on science was learning about astronomy in 7th grade at Lakeside. She pursued her interest in astronomy and astrophysics in college at Brandeis University and got an undergraduate degree in Physics. In 2012 she decided to "return to nature" and in 2016 she graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a PhD in Wildlife Ecology. In her spare time she likes to spend time with friends and go backpacking, rock climb, and spend time with her husband and baby.

Overcoming obstacles

"Neither of my parents went to college, so I really had no idea what scientific job paths looked like but I learned to ask for lots of help from others along the way. I found a great professor in college who mentored me and was instrumental in my career path."

One of the species that Briana is trying to protect with her research right now are blue whales. Blue whales, the largest living animal, has been facing threats for a long time. At one point, commercial whaling almost drove them to extinction. While this practice has become much less common over the last century, blue whales are still endangered. One threat that Briana has been trying to help combat is collisions with cargo ships.

It's been estimated that, for blue whales, closer to twenty individuals are killed each year by ships off the coast of California. This is troubling, because conservation experts have determined that, in order for blue whale populations that spend time near California to recover, a maximum of only two whales can be lost each year.

Cargo ships can slow down to avoid hitting blue whales, but because both cargo ships and blue whales are very large (cargo ships can be 1,000 feet long and 15 stories tall!), it can be difficult for the ships to slow down in time to avoid hitting the whales. However, Briana and her team think they have a solution.

They have developed a tool called "Whale Watch", that is currently being used and tested in California, with the hopes of expanding its use to other areas with high whale and ship traffic throughout the world. The program gives ship captains information about where and when they will encounter whales, allowing them to slow down in advance and avoid collisions. Whale Watch works by combining three different kinds of data: underwater AI technology that records whale calls; computer models that predict, in real time, where whales will be feeding based on ocean temperature and water circulation; and a community science app where people can upload their own whale sightings. Whale Watch hasn't been in use for very long, but Briana and her team are hopeful that it will start saving whale's lives.

Whales are good for the economy, too. Between whale watching and the carbon dioxide that whales indirectly help suck out of the atmosphere, some scientists have estimated that a single whale is worth $2 million. The global shipping industry, which is also very economically important, is anticipated to triple in size by 2050, so solutions like Whale Watch that are good for the whales and ships will become increasingly important.