MRI-R2: Acquisition of Growth Chambers

该奖项由2009年《美国复苏与再投资法案》(公法111-5)资助。该主要研究仪器--复苏与再投资(MRI-R2)奖项为威尔克斯大学提供了一套植物生长室。这些实验室可以设置为不同的温度、湿度、光周期和二氧化碳水平，将直接影响教职员工的研究，并将在几门课程中广泛使用。这些实验室将支持最近通过高通量测序确定的在非编码RNA中插入DNA的拟南芥突变体的筛选研究。能够并行而不是串联地筛选对温度、光周期、二氧化碳或其他因素的变化反应的能力将大大加快研究速度。其他研究将侧重于稀有的本地和入侵植物物种，以及废弃地雷的恢复，因此评估温度变化和其他环境因素对这些物种的影响的能力将极大地促进研究。比较植物在各种条件下生长的能力也将加强几门课程，包括第二学期的入门生物学和包括植物生理学、植物形态和功能以及生态学在内的高级课程。它还将增加独立和高级研究项目的机会。在从分子生物学到生理学和生态学的子学科中进行更复杂的植物研究的能力，将改善威尔克斯学生的培训，并增强植物生物学对威尔克斯学生的吸引力。购买这种设备还将提高当地社区学院对植物生物学的兴趣，并加强与该学院的合作，通过为他们提供参加威尔克斯的研讨会和研究的机会，招收少数族裔学生加入该计划。最后，它将提高当地高中对植物生物学的兴趣，因为威尔克斯与当地高中有外联计划，其中一些计划为学生提供直接参与大学研究项目的机会。这些活动产生的数据将通过同行评议的期刊出版物以及学生和教职员工在区域和国家会议上的陈述进行传播。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This Major Research Instrumentation-Recovery and Reinvestment (MRI-R2) award funds a set of plant growth chambers for Wilkes University. The chambers can be set for different temperatures, humidity, photoperiods and CO2 levels, and will have a direct impact on the research of faculty and will also see extensive use in several courses. The chambers will support research in screening Arabidopsis mutants with DNA insertions in non-coding RNAs recently identified by high-throughput sequencing. The ability to screen for altered responses to temperature, photoperiod, CO2 or other factors in parallel rather than in series will greatly speed the research. Other studies will focus on both rare native and invasive plant species, as well as revegetation of abandoned minelands, so the ability to evaluate the effects of altered temperature and other environmental factors on these species will greatly enhance the studies. The ability to compare the growth of plants under a variety of conditions will also enhance several courses, including the second semester of introductory biology and upper-levels including plant physiology, plant form and function, and ecology. It will also enhance the opportunities for independent and senior research projects. The ability to conduct more sophisticated plant research in sub-disciplines ranging from molecular biology to physiology and ecology will improve the training of Wilkes students and enhance the appeal of plant biology to the Wilkes student body. Acquisition of this equipment will also enhance interest in plant biology at the local community college and strengthen the collaboration with this college to recruit minority students into the program by providing them with opportunities to participate in workshops and research at Wilkes. Finally, it will enhance interest in plant biology in local high schools, since Wilkes has outreach programs with local high schools, some of which provide opportunity for students to be directly involved in research projects at the University. Data produced from these activities will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journal publications, and by student and faculty presentations at regional and national meetings.