Taft This award supports the replacement of the Biological Laboratories Greenhouse at Harvard University. This replacement was deemed necessary because the existing facility, built in 1931, was unsafe. The new structure will allow students the opportunity to carry out projects through the winter months, and will provide more stable environmental control conducive to growing plants year-round. The research conducted in the new facility will include: molecular genetics of phylogeny; growth patterns and whole organism development; gene control of cell-cell communication during fertilization; breeding systems and hybridization; and fundamental morphology. Such fundamental studies enhance our understanding of plant biology and thereby contribute to assessing the potential effects of global change on terrestrial ecosystems, ecosystem responses to climate alteration, and the role of plants in mitigating global climate change. This renovation project will directly impact 16 faculty, 13 graduate students, 6 postdoctoral fellows, and supplies the plant materials for about 550 undergraduate students yearly.
