Acquisition of Growth Chambers for the Univeristy of Georgia Biological Sciences Plant Growth Facility

该奖项用于为该大学的植物生长设施购买植物生长室，供3个系的教师、博士后和学生使用。与该设施相关的研究人员在植物进化，生态学和功能基因组学方面有很强的研究和教育重点。他们的研究项目包括：(1)植物进化生态生理学-低营养胁迫和沙漠适应的进化；(2)生态遗传学-适应进化的遗传基础；(3)分子和进化遗传学-禾本科植物的比较结构和功能基因组学；(3)进化基因组学-高等植物基因组结构、基因和基因家族的进化。(4)植物细胞与分子生物学——植物细胞分化、形态发生和细胞壁形成的调控机制。生长室还将促进进化遗传/基因组社区中至少7个额外用户的研究。这些生长室将为5个主要用户和7个附加用户的研究实验室提供25名本科生、32名研究生和18名博士后的研究培训。这项培训将延续该大学在生物科学领域指导少数族裔和代表性不足群体的强大传统。在一些本科生和研究生的课堂上，这些生长箱也将用于以探究为基础的实验室练习。最后，生长室将促进进化、生态和功能基因组学模式植物系统的进一步发展：拟南芥和作物及其野生近缘种（如向日葵、小麦、珍珠粟、指粟、tef、高粱和玉米）。

This award is for the acquisition of plant growth chambers for the university's Plant Growth Facility, which is used by faculty, post-docs and students across 3 departments. Researchers associated with this facility have a strong research and education focus on plant evolution, ecology and functional genomics. Their research programs include (1) plant evolutionary ecophysiology - the evolution of low nutrient stress tolerance and desert adaptations, (2) ecological genetics - the genetic basis of adaptive evolution, (3) molecular and evolutionary genetics - comparative structural and functional genomics in grasses, (3) evolutionary genomics - the evolution of genome structure, genes and gene families in higher plants, and (4) plant cell and molecular biology - mechanisms controlling cell differentiation, morphogenesis and wall formation in plants. The growth chambers will also facilitate the research of at least 7 additional users in the evolutionary genetic/genomic community. The growth chambers will contribute to the current research training of 25 undergraduate students, 32 graduate students, and 18 postdocs in the research labs of 5 major users and 7 additional users. This training will continue the university's strong tradition of mentoring minorities and underrepresented groups in the biological sciences. The growth chambers will also be available for laboratory exercises for inquiry-based labs in several undergraduate and graduate classes. Finally, the growth chambers will facilitate the further development of model plant systems for evolutionary, ecological, and functional genomics: Arabidopsis and crops and their wild relatives (e.g. Helianthus, wheat, pearl millet, finger millet, tef, sorghum, and maize).