CSBR: Living Stocks, Operation of a Culture Collection of Algae

德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校(UTEX)的藻类培养收藏是为数不多的经过精心策划的、公共的、生物多样性的活藻类收藏之一。UTEX是藻类生物多样性的储存库和分配中心。UTEX收藏是公众可获得的最具遗传多样性的生物组合之一，UTEX维护的许多藻类都是独一无二的，不可替代。每年，UTEX以低廉的成本向美国和世界各地的科学家、教育工作者和学生分发数千种活的藻类培养物。微型藻类作为运输燃料、人类食物、动物饲料、药品和许多其他用途的来源引起了极大的兴趣，这使得UTEX藻类成为数百个研究项目的基本资源。UTEX提供管理藻类养殖的实践讲习班、内容丰富的互动网站、物种鉴定服务、化学成分分析，以及与从事藻类研究的学生进行广泛的通信。UTEX的工作人员在公立学校演讲，参观UTEX设施，协助教师和学生开展高中科学项目，并每年在当地的开放日活动上向数百名儿童介绍藻类的科学重要性。UTEX目前保存着代表所有主要分类群的3,000多种独特的活藻类，包括超过450个类型物种。UTEX的使命是促进、支持和支持将藻类用于研究、教育和实际应用。为了履行其使命，UTEX以低廉的成本向用户社区提供活的藻类；充当新发现的和最近描述的具有潜在价值的藻类物种的永久公共保管库，这些藻类物种代表着广泛的遗传、形态和生化多样性；为执业科学家、其他专业人员和感兴趣的公众提供有关藻类的信息来源；促进和支持当地的科学教学和学童的动手科学活动；以及提供实用的培训服务、支持服务和用品，促进在其他地点培育藻类。UTEX提供活的藻类起始培养物、散装培养物、生长介质、光生物反应器、测光仪、基因组DNA和数字图像。服务包括通过形态和DNA序列方法鉴定藻类，藻类的生理和生化特征，以及专利菌株的低温储存。UTEX在超低温保存技术、生化特性、基因组测序和加入菌株的分类鉴定方面保持着活跃的研究。通过提供培养物和与UTEX工作人员协商，积极支持当地机构内基于藻类的研究。每年发表的数百篇研究文章都提到了UTEX菌株的使用，其中许多也承认了NSF的支持。此外，许多UTEX菌株被用于研究，导致基于微藻的技术的开发，用于生产生物燃料和许多其他产品。一个全面的网站(www.utex.org)促进了订购商品和服务的安全方式，提供了到其他地方与藻类有关的资源的链接，并包括了各种与藻类相关的信息。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Culture Collection of Algae at the University of Texas at Austin (UTEX) is one of only a handful of curated, public, biodiversity collections of living algae. UTEX is a repository and distribution center for algal biodiversity. The UTEX Collection is of the most genetically diverse assemblages of organisms available to the public and many of the algae UTEX maintains are unique and irreplaceable. Every year UTEX distributes thousands of living algal cultures, at modest cost, to scientists, educators, and students throughout the U.S. and the world. The great interest in microscopic algae as sources of transportation fuel, human food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, and many other uses makes UTEX algae and services essential resources for hundreds of research projects. UTEX provides hands-on workshops on managing algal cultures, an informative interactive web site, species identification services, chemical composition analysis, and extensive correspondence with students engaged in algal research. UTEX personnel give presentations at public schools, conduct tours of UTEX facilities, assist teachers and students in conducting high school science projects, and provide presentations on the scientific importance of algae to hundreds of children every year at local open house events.UTEX currently maintains more than 3,000 unique living algal strains representing all major taxa, including over 450 type species. The UTEX mission is to promote, support, and enable the use of algae for research, education, and practical applications. In order to fulfill its mission, UTEX provides living algae to a user community at modest cost; serves as a permanent public repository of newly discovered and recently described algal species of potential value representing a broad range of genetic, morphological and biochemical diversity; acts as a source of information regarding algae to practicing scientists, other professionals, and the interested public; promotes and supports local science teaching and hands-on scientific activities by school children; and provides practical training services, support services, and supplies that facilitate culturing of algae at other sites. UTEX provides living algae starter cultures, bulk cultures, growth media, photobioreactors, photometers, genomic DNA and digital images. Services include identification of algae by morphological and DNA-sequence methods, physiological and biochemical characterization of algae, and cryogenetic storage of proprietary strains. UTEX maintains active research on cryopreservation technology, biochemical characterization, genomic sequencing, and taxonomic identification of accessioned strains. Algae-based research within the local institution is actively supported through the provision of cultures and by consultation with UTEX staff. Every year hundreds of published research articles reference the use of UTEX strains, many of which also recognize NSF support. In addition, many UTEX strains are used in research leading to the development of microalgae-based technologies for the production of biofuels and many other products. A comprehensive web site (www.utex.org) facilitates a secure means for ordering goods and services, provides links to resources elsewhere pertaining to algae, and includes diverse algae-related information.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.