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

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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.