Biochemistry Professor Dean Della Penna and Plant Biology Associate Professor Robin Buell are part of a $6 million NIH Grand Opportunities grant to understand exactly which genes are involved in the synthesis of medicinal chemicals in several plants — clearing the way for cheaper and more effective ways to produce drugs. Read more>>
Zoology Professor Elena Litchman is part of an NSF grant to develop robotic fish to bring environmental monitoring of water to a new level. Watch the video>> Read the story>>
Microbiology Professor Richard Lenski has research published in Nature on his 21-year evolution experiment with E. coli. Read the press release or the Nature article.
Chemistry Professor Jim McCusker and a team of chemists, mathmaticians and engineers have received a $1.9 million NSF grant to improve solar panel technology. Read more about developing more efficient solar energy solutions. Watch the video.
Assistant Professor Pamela Rasmussen is part of a team of scientists who have identified the Banggai crow. Thought to be extinct, the crow has re-emerged from hiding on a remote, mountainous Indonesian island. More about identifying the rare bird…
Robin Buell, associate professor of plant biology, was part of a team of 39 scientists in 14 countries that has released the first draft sequence of the potato genome. The complete sequence is estimated to be 840 million base pairs, about one-quarter the size of the human genome, and it will will help to improve yield, quality, disease [...]
New technology is changing the way scientists ask questions about gene expression in order to battle disease. Helping keep MSU on the forefront is the Gene Expression in Disease and Development group, a community of scholars focused on the mechanisms of gene regulation. The group is marking its 10th anniversary with a ceremony at 2:00 pm on Sept. 18 [...]
Gemma Reguera, assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, has developed a process that can be harnessed to produce electricity and fuel from plant biomass. Using a specific selection of metal-reducing microorganisms in the Geobacter species, Reguera was able to design a microbial fuel cell that acts as a natural battery to convert plant biomass [...]
Brian Schutte, associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, is part of a team of collaborators who are looking for the genetic factors that contribute to common diseases in order to develop new innovative health care procedures for prevention and treatment of these diseases. The research group recently received a Strategic Partnership Grant through the [...]
Professor James McCusker has received a $1.9 million NSF grant as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This research proposes to develop efficient, solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells using a synergistic collaboration that couples mathematical modeling with synthesis and characterization of novel polymer-based materials for ion conduction. Read more about McCusker’s NSF grant.
