Replacement growth chambers for plant biology research

植物是人类数千年来赖以生存的食物、药物和物质的可靠来源。预计到2050年，世界人口将达到97亿，全球变暖造成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、细胞信号和基因组学方面具有基础研究实力。此外，有广泛的重点应用研究项目，旨在提高植物胁迫耐受性，增加增值性状，并开发环境植物修复的方法。气候控制生长箱是一个重要的基础设施组成部分，支持研究计划，有助于我们的环境和生态系统的可持续性，并加强农业生物技术研究，旨在生产耐胁迫和增值作物。* 加州大学的植物生长设施由环境控制的生长室和温室组成。温室的空间足以生产教学材料，但不能满足我们生产高质量、可控生长的研究材料的需要。因此，我们依靠生长箱来满足我们的研究需求。大约一半的生长室是35至45岁，其余的室中，除了一个几乎20岁。旧的分庭是不可靠的，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（每个生长区1.5平方米），用于适应正在加州大学进行的各种植物生物学研究。这项研究涉及许多模式和作物物种（例如，油菜、水稻、小麦、烟草、莴苣、拟南芥等）以及非作物物种（杨柳和我们多样性研究中使用的许多本土植物物种）。申请人在培养研究生方面有着良好的记录，这些研究生已经在学术界和工业界取得了成功。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。购买这些植物生长室将为加州大学超过15个研究机构提供关键基础设施。这些设备将使这些研究人员能够解决与农业，环境，基础科学和药物/营养品相关的关键问题，并帮助培养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.**