This award provides support for the development of a collaborative effort between Dr. Joanne Romagni of St. Edward's University in Austin, TX and the Organic Chemistry Department of the University of Cadiz in Puerto Real, Spain. The purpose of the award is to develop a new international summer REU site.
Intellectual merit. The program will enable US undergraduate students to isolate and identify secondary metabolites from Antarctic lichens collected during the polar expeditions of the University of Cadiz. While there has been some characterization of lichen secondary metabolites, this is one of the first studies to systematically compare changes along an ecological transect as well as through time. The bioactive compounds will be indentified and their molecular mechanism of action will be elucidated.
Broader impacts. US undergraduates in chemical ecology will integrate international collaborative research, which includes multidisciplinary laboratory experience, into their curriculum. The project will also recruit minority students from the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP).
