For Release Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Sun Grant Initiative Awards $1.82 Million in Research Funds to Southeastern Universities
The Southeastern Sun Grant Center is pleased to announce funding for 13 biobased research proposals from land-grant universities in the southeast United States.
The Sun Grant Initiative, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Transportation, is a national program that aims to solve America’s energy needs and revitalize rural communities with land-grant university research, education and extension programs on renewable energy and biobased industries.
The Initiative is coordinated by five regional Sun Grant Centers located throughout the U.S. The Southeastern Sun Grant Center is headquartered in Knoxville at the University of Tennessee and is directed by Dr. Timothy G. Rials. The southeastern center coordinates activity in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In March 2007, the Southeastern Sun Grant Center announced the availability of its regional competitive grants program with a Request for Applications, which was sent to key contacts at all land-grant universities in the region. The RFA outlined two grant categories: Integrated Projects with a maximum funding request of $300,000 for a period of up to three years; and Seed Grants of up to $50,000 for a one year period.
In total, more than 130 Letters of Intent were submitted, resulting in 93 full proposals by the submission deadline. Full proposals were received from 11 different land-grant universities in the southeast region.
After extensive review by a panel from academic, business and government sectors with expertise in all the DOT research priority areas, 13 proposals were selected for funding.
The following Seed Grant projects received funding:
Identifying novel lignin and lignocellulose degrading enzymes from natural decomposer communities. Alison Buchan, University of Tennessee, Department of Microbiology.
Agglomeration of biomass feedstocks for bioenergy applications. Oladiran Fasina, Auburn University, Department of Biosystems Engineering.
Conversion of agricultural materials to biofuels and bioproducts by Thermotoga neapolitana, a hyperthermophilic, anaerobic bacterium. Mike Henson, Clemson University, Department of Biological Sciences.
A novel approach to facilitate accessibility of cellulose and hemicellulose: characterization of hybrid poplar transformed with a tyrosine rich peptide gene. Haiying Liang, Clemson University, Department of Genetics and Biochemistry.
Evaluation of reduced lignin softwood and hardwoods for improved conversion to bioethanol. Gary Peter, University of Florida, School of Forest Resources and Conservation.
Use of complex fluids for enhanced cellulosic pre-treatment. Orlando Rojas, North Carolina State University, Department of Wood and Paper Science.
Biological energy production from biomass by wood-feeding termites. Jian-Zhong Sun, Mississippi State University, Coastal Research and Extension Center.
Integrated Projects that received funding include:
Optimization of pretreatments for the production of ethanol from genetically modified hardwoods with high cellulose and low lignin content. Hasan Jameel, North Carolina State University, Department of Wood and Paper Science.
Bacterial adaptations for enhanced cellulose utilization: a systems approach. Sue Nokes, University of Kentucky, Department of Biosystems and Ag Engineering.
Enzymatic and multiphase solution processing of lignocellulosic biomass. Subramanian Ramakrishnan, Florida A&M University, Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering.
Mechanisms of surfactant effects on biomass conversion. Maren Roman, Virginia Tech, Department of Wood Science and Forest Products.
Comparative genomics guided genetic modification of switchgrass cell wall for improved lignin characteristics and increased cellulose availability. Neal Stewart, University of Tennessee, Department of Plant Sciences.
Development of a microbial factory for efficient conversion of biodiesel glycerol to value-added products. Sang-Jin Suh, Auburn University, Department of Biological Sciences.
