Claim: Kaisha Atakhanova began her environmental and biological research after graduating and also did research in the Semipalatinsk Test Sit, which was  located on the steppe in northeast Kazakhstan.
Evidence: Upon graduating in biology from Karaganda State University, Atakhanova began environmental and biological research. She did research in the Semipalatinsk Test Sit, also known as the polygon, which was a testing site for Soviet nuclear weapons. It is located on the steppe in northeast Kazakhstan (then the Kazakh SSR), south of the valley of the Irtysh River.