This award provides support for purchase of several instruments used in analysis of plants and microbes. The equipment includes a 16 capillary DNA sequencer, PCR machines, a liquid robotic handler, and necessary software. The instrumentation has the increased throughput capacity needed for several ongoing research projects of faculty and students at the OSU campus in Wooster, and at nearby Hiram College. The instruments will be placed in the Molecular and Cellular Imaging Center (MCIC), a multi-disciplinary core facility on the campus. Research programs expected to use the instruments include studies of variation in tomato fruit morphology, studies of the molecular basis of interactions between oomycete fungi and their plant hosts, molecular studies of quantitative variation in plant resistance to disease and abiotic stress, and high throughput genotyping and sequencing of microbial genomes. In addition to its role in research, the equipment will be integrated into a broad range of ongoing outreach and training activities for which the MCIC is currently a focal point. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty and technical staff from more than 28 laboratories in ten different departments use the facility for studies related to their thesis work or research. In addition, undergraduate students from private, state, community, and minority colleges participate in summer research programs on the Wooster campus . These students will have access to training and use of the requested instrumentation. The MCIC hosts frequent tours for high school students and teachers, K-12 students, as well as area residents to provide a greater understanding of plant, animal and microbial research and to engage the broader community in science-related activities .
