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

该奖项是为大学的植物生长设施，这是由教师，博士后和学生在3个部门使用的植物生长室的收购。与该设施相关的研究人员对植物进化，生态学和功能基因组学有很强的研究和教育重点。他们的研究计划包括：（1）植物进化生态生理学-低营养胁迫耐受性和沙漠适应性的进化，（2）生态遗传学-适应性进化的遗传基础，（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）植物细胞和分子生物学--控制植物细胞分化、形态发生和细胞壁形成的机制。生长室还将促进进化遗传/基因组界至少另外7名用户的研究。生长室将有助于目前的研究培训的25名本科生，32名研究生，和18名博士后在研究实验室的5个主要用户和7个额外的用户。这项培训将延续该大学在生物科学方面指导少数民族和代表性不足的群体的悠久传统。生长室也将可用于实验室练习，为几个本科生和研究生班的探究式实验室。最后，生长室将促进进化、生态和功能基因组学的模式植物系统的进一步发展：拟南芥和作物及其野生亲缘植物（例如向日葵、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).