This award will support the acquisition of genomics instrumentation including high-throughput real-time PCR and microarray printing and scanning. These instruments will enhance projects that include the following: (1) the evolution of adaptive gene complexes (2) the effects of insect feeding and other environmental stressors on global gene expression in plants, (3) analyses of microbial and root community structures in constructed wetlands, and (4) toxicogenomics of cyanobacterial toxins and genomic and proteomic characterizations of harmful algal blooms. The goal of this proposal is the establishment of a genomics facility that will be used for research on nonmodel organisms that are the subject of ongoing research programs at Wright State University. The use of nonmodel organisms is a crucial aspect in studies of evolutionary, ecological, and environmental biology.
Genomics has revolutionized the way research is conducted in Biological Sciences. Application of genomics technology to environmental and ecological studies has the potential to revolutionize these fields as it has revolutionized molecular and cellular biology. For example, one project made possible by this award is the analysis of bacterial communities in a wetland constructed for the treatment of perchloroethylene and its carcinogenic degradation product, vinyl chloride. Characterization of bacterial community structure and succession in this wetland will help in the design of wetlands constructed for the treatment of other organic compounds. Another project will be genomic analyses of algal blooms, which will allow for rapid discrimination between toxic and nontoxic blooms. A third project will entail the development of high throughput methods for genetic mapping using single nucleotide polymorphisms. The technical innovations from the acquired instrumentation will be integrated into graduate and undergraduate educational programs, including programs that target underrepresented groups. Recent efforts in this area include funded projects for Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology (UMEB), Research in Environmental Stress for the Underrepresented, and Creating Laboratory Access for Science Students with Disabilities (CLASS). Many of these students continue their education in the graduate programs of the Department of Biological Sciences. Among these is an Environmental Sciences Ph.D. program that was established in 2002. Environmental Sciences is an area of excellence at Wright State.
