A gifted young scientist, Teddy Amuge is determined to help find a solution to cassava virus diseases, including cassava brown streak disease that has the potential to wipe out Uganda’s entire cassava crop. In her research, she is blending conventional breeding strategies with molecular tools (gene-based markers and single nucleotide polymorphisms) to stem these devastating viruses. “If a family loses 100 percent of its cassava crop, its entire livelihood is gone. As a researcher, I want people who don’t even know what molecular biology means to have their daily bread because of what I’m doing in the lab,” says Amuge, who recently won a PhD scholarship at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Kenya. “I intend to do what I call ‘honest’ research; I want to do research not just to make a living, but to make a difference in the lives of poor families just like mine.”