Scientist, nutritionist, mountain climber. Maryam Imbumi is undaunted by mountains—be they academic challenges or the actual slopes of Mount Kenya, which this ambitious biologist has scaled several times. Imbumi’s love of plants began as a child in rural Kenya. She often went with her mother into the forest to harvest indigenous plants. Traditionally, most Kenyans only eat these plants out of desperation in times of dire hunger. “My mom made them taste so delicious that I wondered why other people in our community didn’t eat them, especially when there was so much malnutrition among the children.”