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Media Contact: Selina Meiners, 202-734-9376
WASHINGTON,
Feb. 2, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National
Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced 11 grants
totaling $3 million for Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER)
projects focused on plant and animal phenomics and microbiomes. The grants are
funded through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s (AFRI) Food
Security Program, authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill.
“We are excited
to announce these grantees who will be developing novel, high-throughput
technologies for plant and animal phenotyping and microbiomes,” said NIFA
Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “Working jointly with the National Science
Foundation, we are able to leverage funding and enhance partnership
opportunities to propel us into the future of food and agricultural
science.”
“These studies will lead to a
better understanding of how microbial communities interact with one another and
with their plant and animal hosts,” says James Olds, National Science
Foundation assistant director for Biological
Sciences. “The results have the potential to improve human health through, for
example, new insights into antibiotic resistance, and may contribute to
discoveries of new bioactive compounds and the development of more efficient
and sustainable food production.”
This is the first year NIFA is
partnering with the National Science Foundation on emerging research in the
areas of phenomics and microbiomes. A total of $6 million is allotted for the
effort, with the NSF funding 10 projects totaling $3 million. The grants awarded focus on
new methods and techniques that will enable the development of robust breeds
and cultivars able to withstand or recover from biological and physical
stressors.
Grants being announced today, by
state, include:
- University of
California-Davis, California, $250,000
- University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, $248,000
- Iowa State University,
Iowa, $300,000
- Iowa State University,
Iowa, $260,000
- Iowa State University,
Iowa, $270,000
- Kansas State
University, Kansas, $300,000
- Michigan State
University, Michigan, $260,000
- University of
Missouri-Columbia, Missouri, $290,000
- University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska, $285,000
- Cornell University,
New York, $275,000
- Cornell University,
New York, $262,000
Project details can be found on the NIFA
website.
Among the grants, a University of
California-Davis project will engineer a small-scale, modular artificial
gut system that can be used for high-throughput analysis of gut microbiome
function in animals. The analysis will incorporate physiological features, such
as fluid dynamics, mixing, and a matrix that facilitates biofilm formation, to
determine the role of microbiomes in shaping and responding to changes in the
gastrointestinal tract of animals.
A University of Illinois project is focused on plants through Cytometric
Fingerprinting with Machine Learning (CFML). The research seeks to develop CFML
as a tool to increase the accuracy and throughput of microbiome
characterization. CFML is a powerful approach to detect changes in the structure
and function of a microbial community in near-real time that can facilitate
rapid characterization of the dynamics of microbial communities.
Michigan State University’s project aims to develop and validate new ways to use
longitudinal data using mid-infrared spectroscopy (MIR) spectra to help predict
robustness traits in dairy cattle. For example, data from cow lactation samples
might reveal robustness traits such as metabolic substances (metabolites), or
various reproductive and health outcomes. Researchers plan to integrate
international MIR and metabolite data from research and commercial farms on a
record scale.
NIFA has invested in and advanced innovative and
transformative initiatives to solve societal challenges and ensure the
long-term viability of agriculture. NIFA's integrated research, education and
extension programs support the best and brightest scientists and extension
personnel whose work results in user-inspired, groundbreaking discoveries that
combat childhood obesity, improve and sustain rural economic growth, address
water availability issues, increase food production, find new sources of
energy, mitigate climate variability and ensure food safety.
To learn more
about NIFA’s impact on agricultural science, visit www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts, sign up for email updates or follow us on Twitter @usda_NIFA, #NIFAimpacts.
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