EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Plan

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EPS 04-47262Oklahoma State UniversityWaxman, Frank"EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Plan"The Oklahoma EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement award supports an emerging cross-disciplinary area that joins the fields of plant virus biodiversity and ecology. The Plant Virus Biodiversity and Ecology theme is a unique scientific integration, building on the genomics and bioinformatics infrastructure in the state and linking the disciplines of plant virology and ecology. This new interdisciplinary program will use the Oklahoma Tallgrass Prairie, a natural habitat preserve for sample collection. Basic questions in the ecology and diversity of viruses will be addressed. Researchers will study virus-host interactions, their geographic distributions, changes over time and the principles that govern the interactions and distributions. Support will also be provided for technical staff in instrumental service facilities that aid nanoscience research groups across the state. Oklahoma's infrastructure improvement activities build on the research strengths of the state's major graduate research/education institutions: the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, the University of Tulsa, and the Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation will also participate, offering a valuable resource for training the next generation of scientists in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma project includes programs to support and enhance the state's long-term commitment to human resource development. The human infrastructure plan includes student and faculty development, entrepreneurship, and promotion of public awareness of science. Initiatives target rural and urban K-12 schools as well as community colleges and baccalaureate universities, many of which serve high numbers of Native Americans and students of other underrepresented groups.