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

在NSF科学，工程和教育可持续发展研究员（SEES研究员计划）的这个奖项中，来自爱达荷州大学的Posy Busby博士将研究在种植棉白杨树中使用天然植物内生菌作为生物燃料的原料。 该奖项得到了以下机构的支持：生物科学局，数学和物理科学局化学处，和刺激竞争研究实验计划办公室（EPSCoR）。拟议的工作将调查植物内生菌应用于棉白杨树木可以帮助保护树木免受主要锈病病原体侵害的潜力（Melampsora）在太平洋西北部的生物燃料种植园。像这个奖项支持的研究的目的是发展生物燃料生产的可持续农业方法。巴斯比博士将与合作者教授。乔治纽科姆的部门，爱达荷州大学的森林、牧场和火灾科学和“格林伍德资源”的布赖恩·斯坦顿博士，以及橡树岭国家实验室、吕克·霍夫曼研究所（瑞士）和亚卡马国家野生动物资源管理计划的其他合作者。 巴斯比博士还将在这个项目中与研究生和本科生合作，包括来自代表性不足群体的学生。这个项目得到了NSF科学、工程和可持续发展教育研究员（SEES Fellows）计划的支持，目标是帮助实现所需的发现，为实现环境、能源和社会可持续发展的行动提供信息，同时创造必要的劳动力来应对这些挑战。在SEES研究员的支持下，该项目将使一个有前途的早期职业研究人员能够在与可持续发展相关的独立研究生涯中建立自己的地位。

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.