NSF grant helps Miami researcher study DNA

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a grant to Miami University for the acquisition of instrumentation for high-throughput DNA studies using modern molecular techniques, such as automated DNA nucleotide sequencing and fragment analysis as well as gene expression in a wide range of organisms and microorganisms.

This instrumentation also includes hardware and software to collect, store, and analyze nucleotide sequences and DNA fragment data using automated and manual bioinformatics tools. This award, which is under the direction of Luis Actis (microbiology) and the co-direction of Christopher Wood (botany), Quinn Li (botany), Matthew Fields (microbiology), and Hailiang Dong (geology), will support research and training activities in a broad array of scientific fields including bacterial and viral genomics, microbial diversity, environmental genomics, evolutionary biology, functional genomics, and protein biochemistry. These activities are conducted by active investigators working in the departments of botany, chemistry and biochemistry, geology, microbiology, and zoology.

The ultimate and common goals of these studies are the understanding of the structure and evolution of prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes and their expression under different environmental conditions. The acquisition of the state-of-the-art instrumentation, which allows the simultaneous processing and analysis of large number of samples, will facilitate the achievement of the research, teaching, and training goals of these projects.

Another goal of these academic activities is to bring modern multidisciplinary research approaches to study complex biological problems at the genetic level while instructing and training faculty, staff, and students at Miami University in the emerging fields of bioinformatics, genomics, and computational biology. The broader significance of the acquired instrumentation is that it will allow Miami University to continue with its commitment to the constant enhancement of the academic programs, which will provide superior instructional and research experiences for undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty in current and emerging scientific fields. Ultimately, all these activities should serve the community by instructing and training new generations in modern technology used to study complex and significant biological problems and processes.