SEES Fellows: The Role of Plant Endophytes in the Sustainable Production of Bioenergy

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In this Award from the NSF Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Fellows (SEES Fellows Program) Dr. Posy Busby from the University of Idaho will investigate the use of naturally-occurring plant endophytes in the cultivation of cottonwood trees for use as feedstock for biofuels. This award has support from: the Directorate for Biological Sciences, the Division of Chemistry in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and the Office of Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).The proposed work will investigate the potential that application of plant endophytes to cottonwood trees can help to protect the trees from a major rust pathogen (Melampsora) in biofuel plantations in the Pacific Northwest.The aim of studies like that supported in this award is to develop sustainable agricultural methods for biofuel production.Dr. Busby will be working with collaborators Prof. George Newcombe of the Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences at the University of Idaho and Dr. Brian Stanton at "Greenwood Resources," and additional collaborators at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Luc Hoffmann Institute (Switzerland) and the Yakama Nation Wildlife Resource Management Program. Dr. Busby will also be working with graduate and undergraduate students in this project, including students from underrepresented groups.This project is supported under the NSF Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Fellows (SEES Fellows) program, with the goal of helping to enable discoveries needed to inform actions that lead to environmental, energy and societal sustainability while creating the necessary workforce to address these challenges. With SEES Fellows support, this project will enable a promising early career researcher to establish themselves in an independent research career related to sustainability.