For the second time in three years, an undergraduate synthetic biology research project at Missouri Western State University and Davidson College in North Carolina has received a grant of more than $1 million from the National Science Foundation. It is the largest research grant in Missouri Western’s history.
President Vartabedian announces a $1.1 million research grant, the largest in school history, to the synthetic biology project of Missouri Western and Davidson College of North Carolina.
“With our statewide mission of applied learning, we at Missouri Western pride ourselves on the opportunities that we provide undergraduate students to work with faculty members on significant research projects,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “In most large universities, projects like this synthetic biology research would be reserved for graduate students. I congratulate Dr. Todd Eckdahl, professor of biology, and Dr. Jeff Poet, professor of mathematics, for this recognition of their continued dedication to both the advancement of science and the education of our students.”
The three-year grant for $1,106,896 will fund a total of 36 full-time summer research positions for undergraduate students, as well as faculty support, research supplies and equipment, face-to-face research meetings on each campus and travel to professional conferences. Missouri Western is the lead institution for the grant proposal, which was written by Dr. Eckdahl, Dr. Poet and their Davidson College colleagues Dr. A. Malcolm Campbell (biology) and Dr. Laurie Heyer (mathematics).
“This funding allows our undergraduate students to work on research full-time for 10 weeks in the summer,” said Dr. Poet. “This is a ‘summer job’ unlike most others. Not only do they have an opportunity to expand their education, they also gain real-world experience that will prove beneficial as they move on to graduate school or the work force.”
The research project is titled “Broadening the Application of Programmed Evolution for Metabolic Engineering.” The goal is to harness the power of evolution to engineer bacteria, producing useful compounds for applications in energy, pharmaceuticals and other fields.
“This grant application succeeded because we have a track record of producing results,” Dr. Eckdahl said. “Our students are publishing papers in professional journals, presenting at professional conferences and making genuine contributions to an emerging field of science.”
Since they began conducting synthetic biology research in 2006, the group has published nine research papers in peer-reviewed journals with a total of 120 undergraduate coauthors. This is the fifth NSF grant the group has received, including a $1 million grant in 2013 that funded summer research in 2014, 2015 and this year.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.