Replacement growth chambers for plant biology research

植物是食物、药物的可靠来源，也是人类几千年来赖以生存的物质来源。到2050年，世界人口预计将达到97亿，全球变暖造成了明显的气候变化影响，农业和植物多样性的可持续性对环境和人类需求至关重要。植物生物学研究是解决我们社会中这些关键问题的核心。卡尔加里大学的植物生物学研究是国际公认的。在植物生物化学、进化生物学、植物多样性、细胞生物学、生理学、细胞信号传导和基因组学等方面有较强的基础研究实力。此外，还广泛关注旨在提高植物抗逆性，增加附加值性状和开发环境修复方法的应用研究项目。气候控制的生长室是一个重要的基础设施组成部分，它支持有助于环境和生态系统可持续性的研究计划，并加强旨在生产耐受性和增值作物的农业生物技术研究。***加拿大大学的植物生长设施由环境控制的生长室和温室组成。温室空间足以生产教材，但不能满足我们生产高质量、可控增长的研究材料的需求。因此，我们依靠生长箱来满足我们的研究需求。大约一半的生长腔有35到45年的历史，除了一个，其余的腔都有将近20年的历史。旧的舱室不可靠，正在退役的过程中。***申请资金用于购买三个替代植物生长室（每个生长面积为1.5平方米），用于容纳正在加大进行的多种植物生物学研究。这项研究涉及许多模型和作物物种（例如，油菜，水稻，小麦，烟草，生菜，拟南芥等）以及非作物物种（柳树和许多用于我们多样性研究的本地植物物种）。申请人在培养研究生方面有着良好的记录，这些研究生在学术界和工业界取得了成功的职业生涯。HQP在积极和前瞻性的研究环境中接受培训，学员具有创造性，互动性，并为高水平的研究做出贡献。这些植物生长室的购买将为uc超过15个研究人员提供关键的基础设施。这些设备将使这些研究人员能够解决与农业，环境，基础科学和制药/营养相关的关键问题，并帮助培训我们的下一代年轻科学家

Plants are reliable sources of food, medicine, and material from which humans have depended on for thousands of years. With the world's population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 and global warming causing visible climate change effects, the sustainability of agriculture and plant diversity is critical for the environment and our human needs. Research in plant biology is central in addressing these critical problems in our society. Plant biology research at the University of Calgary is internationally recognized. There is fundamental research strength in plant biochemistry, evolutionary biology, plant diversity, cell biology, physiology, cell signalling and genomics. Additionally, there is extensive focus on applied research projects aimed at enhancing plant stress tolerance, increasing value added traits, and developing approaches to environmental phytoremediation. Climate controlled growth chambers are an essential infrastructural component that supports research initiatives that contribute to the sustainability of our environment and ecosystems, and enhance ag-biotech research aimed at producing stress tolerant and value-added crops. ***The Plant Growth Facility at the U of C consists of environmentally controlled growth chambers and greenhouses. The greenhouse space is adequate for producing teaching material, but does not meet our needs for the production of high quality, controlled growth of research material. Thus we depend on growth chambers for our research needs. Approximately half of the growth chambers are 35 to 45 years old and all but one of the remaining chambers are almost 20 years old. The older chambers are unreliable and are in the process of being decommissioned. ***Funds are requested for the purchase of three replacement plant growth chambers (each with 1.5 m2 growing area) that will be used to accommodate the diverse plant biology research that is ongoing at the U of C. This research involves numerous model and crop species (e.g., canola, rice, wheat, tobacco, lettuce, Arabidopsis, etc.) as well as non-crop species (willow and many native plant species used in our diversity research). The applicants have a strong track record of training graduate students that have gone on to successful careers in academia and industry. HQP are trained in a positive and forward-thinking research environment, where trainees are creative, interactive and contribute to high level research. The purchase of these plant growth chambers will provide critical infrastructure to more than 15 research faculty at the U of C. This equipment will enable these researchers to address critical questions related to agriculture, the environment, fundamental science and pharmaceuticals/nutriceuticals, and help train our next generation of young scientists.**