Acquisition of a Nucleic Acids Sequencing and Fragment Analysis Laboratory

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A grant has been awarded to the University of Mississippi under the direction of Dr. Julian Starr for partial support of a nucleic acids sequencing and fragment analysis laboratory. This laboratory will consist of a four-capillary Genetic Analyzer and associated equipment that will provide the Biology faculty with a facility to analyze DNA in diverse forms of life. DNA techniques are now an essential, even dominant component of modern biology, and this facility will help the University of Mississippi to maintain its national and international reputation for excellence in the biological sciences. The laboratory will enhance the research and training activities of research-active faculty, graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Mississippi. Projects that will use the facility range from the molecular ecology of bacteria and neural development in fruit flies, to the ecology of fire disturbance and the biodiversity of plants, insects, spiders and corals. This research will train the next generation of biological scientists in the application of molecular techniques to studies on diverse organisms in most of the major fields of biology. These techniques are now essential training for modern biology students.The facility will also be an integral part of the University of Mississippi's long-standing commitment to improving scientific education at all levels in the community. Elementary and secondary schools and local colleges and community colleges will be encouraged to visit and to use the facility; first year biology majors will be introduced to its technology and function; University classes will use the facility for educational purposes; graduate students will be encouraged to incorporate molecular data into their research, and the laboratory will give women and minority students the competitive edge they need to be successful in science.