Grant Information
| Knowledge Area | Subject of Investigation | Field of Science | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 211 - Insects, Mites, and Other Arthropods Affecting Plants | 910 - Grapefruit | 1040 - Molecular biology | 40% |
| 215 - Biological Control of Pests Affecting Plants | 920 - Orange | 1130 - Entomology and acarology | 40% |
| 211 - Insects, Mites, and Other Arthropods Affecting Plants | 1131 - Wine grapes | 1130 - Entomology and acarology | 10% |
| 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems | 1130 - Table grapes | 1040 - Molecular biology | 10% |
At Indian River State College (IRSC), two laboratory modules will be developed for a biotechnology lab that will introduce students to plant transformations using the Agrobacterium model system and Ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi). The labs module will be developed by jointly IRSC faculty and researchers at the USDA. The Agrobacterium module will use transgenic expression of a fluorescent protein in transformed PHACT-biofactories to introduce students to this transgenic system. The module is adaptable to allow for additional instruction of the expression system by Poly chain reaction (PCR), quantitative Poly chain reaction (qPCR), protein analysis and microscopy. The RNAi module will use bioinformatics to introduce students to dsRNA design and the students can test their double-stranded Ribonucleic acid (dsRNAs) for activity as part of the assay pipeline described in Obj. 2. The biotechnology course is offered each fall and spring semester, with sections of 16 students. Curriculum development will be completed during year one and implementation will occur years two through five. Additional outreach will occur through a research opportunity for students at IRSC and Cornell. Teams of students will work with faculty, scientists and post-docs to prepare a research proposal that uses the Agrobacterium model to design a â¿¿biofactoryâ¿Â