Dartmouth researchers received a grant from the National Science Foundation for research on the genomes of economically important crops on Monday. They are currently investigating how gene networks in the Brassica genus, which includes broccoli, cauliflower and mustard, help to detect light cues and trigger floral development. This research could potentially broaden the geographic growing range of crops.
This is the ninth year of the NSF's Plant Genome Research Program. The NSF made 24 awards to 43 institutions, which ranged from $600,000 to $6.6 million and totalled $72.5 million. "New discoveries improve the quality and yield of crop plants, and in the long term, lead to innovations that will support the bio-based economy of the 21st century," said James Collins, head of the NSF's Biological Sciences Directorate.
Dartmouth, along with three dozen universities and colleges in New England, launched the New England Higher Education Consortium website to help recruit employees. Currently, more than 3,000 openings for faculty, administrators, researchers and technicians are posted. Participating schools pay fees ranging from $2,900 to $13,000 per year to the consortium to post job openings. "Historically, universities have competed with each other for top talent," said Lotte Bailyn, a professor of management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management and co-director of the MIT Workplace Center. "The reality is that as a region, we are much stronger if we work together to address these recruitment challenges."