Science Research Roundup: January 2017

Himadri Pakrasi, the Myron and Sonya Glassberg/Albert and Blanche Greensfelder Distinguished University Professor and director of the International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability (I-CARES), has been granted $1,000,000 from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation todevelop methods to study uncultivated microorganisms and the symbiotic relationship between oceanic cyanobacteria and microalgae. “The well-being of oceanic life is fundamentally important for the sustainability of the planet,” said Pakrasi. “The information garnered from this study has the potential to influence an array of fields of science.”

Hani Zaher, assistant professor in the Department of Biology, was awarded $400,000 from the Siteman Cancer Center to undertake a project entitled "RNA as a target of Alkylation Chemotherapy in Cancer."

Douglas Wiens, who was recently appointed as the Robert S. Brookings Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences, has been elected chair of the board of directors of the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology. The consortium of more than 100 universities collects and shares seismic and other geophysical data with the goal of better understanding the planet.

Erik Herzog, professor in the Department of Biology, received $227,000 from the March of Dimes Transdisciplinary Center in support of research on premature deliveries. Herzog also received $38,000 in funding from the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders for research on "Dissecting downstream SCN Neural Circuits in Sleep and Arousal."

Xiang Tang, professor in the Department of Mathematics, has been awarded $45,000 from the National Science Foundation in support of a conference entitled "A Noncommutative Geometry Festival in Shanghai."

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For assistance with proposal writing, editing, coordination, and other related projects, please contact
Crystal Gammon, grants and science writer in Arts & Sciences.