CAREER: Analysis of Bacterial Catabolism of Plant Biomass- A Phenomenon with Special Relevance to Environmental Carbon Cycling and Alternative Energy

地球上的生命依赖微生物对植物生物量的消耗。虽然土壤微生物降解并消耗大量的植物生物量，但我们对它们是如何做到的知之甚少。这是一个重要的研究过程，提高对代谢的理解可能会导致从低成本和丰富的植物生物量中生产高价值化学品和/或燃料的策略。这个CAREER项目的重点是阐明细菌消耗植物生物量的机制。大多数已发表的关于植物生物量消耗的研究都集中在高等微生物（真菌）上，而这个以细菌为重点的研究项目将为我们目前对微生物代谢的理解提供有趣和有用的对照。更广泛的影响本研究项目将为与主要研究者一起工作的研究生和本科生提供教育和培训机会。在布朗大学独立工作的头四年里，他培养了6名研究生和20名本科生。同样数目的受训人员将参与这个项目。除了布朗大学的活动之外，该项目的一个组成部分是与罗德岛州普罗维登斯高中的教师和不同种族的学生以及布朗大学赞助的暑期项目建立研究/教育伙伴关系。首席研究员还与他的母校莫尔豪斯学院（Morehouse College）建立了合作关系，莫尔豪斯学院是美国唯一一所全男性、历史上是黑人的大学，让更多来自弱势群体的个人参与到这个研究项目中来。这种合作关系包括每年前往莫尔豪斯学院参加指导活动，莫尔豪斯学院的学生在夏季有机会在布朗大学进行研究。除了培养未来的科学家外，该项目的推广活动还将提高公众的科学意识。该项目的研究结果将有助于环境科学和发展新的替代能源技术。

Life on Earth depends on the consumption of plant biomass by microorganisms. While soil-dwelling microorganisms degrade and consume tremendous amounts of plant biomass, we know little about how they do it. This is an important process for study, and an improved understanding of the metabolism could lead to strategies for the production of high value chemicals and/or fuels from low cost and abundant plant biomass. This CAREER project is focused on elucidating mechanisms of plant biomass consumption by bacteria. Most of the published research on plant biomass consumption has been focused on higher microorganisms (fungi), and this bacterial-focused research project will provide interesting and useful counterpoints to our current understanding of microbial metabolism. Broader impactsThis research project will provide educational and training opportunities for graduate students and undergraduates who are working with the principal investigator. In the first four years of his independent career at Brown University, the PI trained six graduate students and twenty undergraduates. Similar numbers of trainees will be involved with this project. Beyond the activities at Brown, an integral component of the project is a research/education partnership with teachers and ethnically diverse students at high schools in Providence, Rhode Island and in Brown University-sponsored summer programs. The principal investigator has also formed a partnership with his alma mater, Morehouse College, America's only all male, historically black college to involve additional individuals from under-represented groups in the research project. This partnership involves annual trips to Morehouse College for mentoring activities and opportunities for Morehouse students to carry out research at Brown University during the summers. In addition to training future scientists, the outreach activities in this project will enhance public awareness of science. The findings of the project will contribute to environmental science and the development of new alternative energy technologies.