9628388 McKenna Support is sought for the acquisition and installation of controlled environment growth chambers in the biology department greenhouse. The addition of these chambers will significantly increase research capabilities in plant science, aid in recruitment of talented undergraduates, graduate students and new faculty, and provide a facility that can support precollege outreach programs designed to increase the entry of minority students in science careers. The installation of controlled environment chambers will extend and enhance ongoing research in the areas of plant anatomy and development, phytoremediation, plant ecophysiology, plant ecology, plant systematics, mycology, plant molecular biology and genetics. The facility will allow the institution to maintain experimental plant populations over long periods, maintain clones or plant families for genetic experiments, grow source material for cellular and molecular experiments including tissue culture, DNA analysis, and phytoremediation, maintain plants for systematic study, and design experiments under controlled environmental conditions to study cellular, physiological or ecological processes.
