William and Barbara receive two (yes two) grants:
-Collaborative Research (Arabidopsis 2010): Ecological Genomics of Adaptation to the Environment (2010-2014). $3,154,225 from the National Science Foundation. PI with W. Adams for CU-Boulder portion ($587,908 to the University of Colorado); PIs for MSU portion Douglas Schemske & Michael Thomashow, PI for CSU portion John McKay
The goal of this collaboration is to dissect the genetic basis of high and low temperature tolerance in the model plant Arabidopsis by a comprehensive study including quantitative genetics, molecular approaches, and physiology. We will utilize ecotypes of this species from Sweden and Italy as well as hundreds of recombinant inbred lines produced from these parents. Our portion focuses on several candidate parameters that may represent bottlenecks to the ceiling for photosynthesis and plant productivity under different temperature regimes.
-Extractive Photobioreactor (2011-2014). $524,819 from ConocoPhillips Company. Co-PI with John Pellegrino (Mechanical Engineering, CU-Boulder), Robert Davis (Dean Engineering & Applied Science, CU-Boulder) & William Adams ($187,828 to Demmig-Adams & Adams)
The goal of this collaboration is to develop new approaches towards the cost-effective production and extraction of energy carriers (suitable for biofuel production) from cultures of microalgae. Our portion focuses on further enhancing the energy carrier exudation by algae (that we were able to induce under our current ConocoPhillips grant) via both biological triggers and engineering approaches for the separation of these energy carriers from the algae.
