2009 Southeastern Sun Grant UT Institute of Agriculture Internal Competitive Grants Program Awards Released

August 1, 2009

The Southeastern Sun Grant Center is pleased to announce its 2009 UT Institute of Agriculture Internal Competitive Grants Program awards. Projects selected for funding include:

• Identification and characterization of insect cellulolytic systems for plant biomass degradation - J. Jurat-Fuentes, W. Klingeman, C. Oppert, B. Oppert (USDA-ARS GMPRC)
• New biocatalysts to hydrolyze lignocellulosic biomass in ionic liquids - N. Labbe, M. Radosevich, D. Hayes, V. Srinivasan, J. Jurat-Fuentes
• A life cycle inventory for switchgrass fuel pellets - A. Taylor, D. Harper, D. Hodges
• Feature extraction models for identifying optimum biorefinery sites in the southeastern U.S. with sustainability and policy impact modules - T. Young, D. Hodges, F. Guess
• Plant pathogen enzymes for biomass treatment and biofuel production - K. Lamour, J. Jurat-Fuentes
• Estimating the Effects of Climate Change Legislation on U.S. Biomass Supply Using a High Resolution Integrated Socioeconomic-Biogeophysical Model - T. Hellwinckle, T. West (ORNL)
• Developing Herbicide-resistant Switchgrass for Improvement of Weed Control and Stand Establishment - F. Chen, N. Stewart, G. Armel, N. Rhodes

For more information on these grants, please visit the Southeastern Sun Grant Center's Grants page.