NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology for FY 2011

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This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2011, Broadening Participation. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to Juan Giraldo is "Carbon nanotubes as sensors for understanding sugar transport and signaling in plants." The host institution for this research is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Michael Strano.Sugars are key signaling molecules that regulate growth and development in plants. To date there are no techniques for directly determining the concentration and location of sugars in living cells of plants. Carbon nanotubes have been shown to detect sugars such as glucose and other key biological molecules in animal cells. These nanosensors emit light in the near infrared, do not photobleach, and enable single particle detection through living tissue. This research develops this new technique for studying sugar transport and signaling in plant cells, unveiling the poorly understood pathways of sugar movement through the vascular system of plants, and testing their hypothesized role as signals regulating the onset of flowering. Training objectives include acquiring new techniques in nanofabrication and imaging at nanoscales. Development of sugar nanosensors for plants promises a new field of science at the interface of nanotechnology and plant biology. Plant nanosensors are expected to be capable of monitoring key factors associated with crop yield, such as plant sugar and nutrient status, under field conditions. Additional broader impacts include mentoring students, public outreach through lectures at the MIT Museum, and online videoconferences to K-12 school communities in Colombia.