Newswise — Two national awards received by North Dakota State University professors will bring a combined $1.6 million to biochemistry and to plant pathology research programs at NDSU, Fargo, and provide additional research opportunities for students.
Stuart Haring, Ph.D., assistant professor in biochemistry, and Robert Brueggeman, Ph.D., assistant professor in plant pathology at NDSU, will each receive five-year Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Living cells are the focus of Dr. Haring’s research, for which he is receiving a five-year award of $992,429 from NSF. Dr. Haring’s research examines how cells recognize and repair damaged DNA, before the DNA is permanently mutated. The research, titled “Replication Protein A Modification - Dependent Function in Mitosis and Meiosis,” will also provide opportunities to NDSU students in molecular and cellular biology.
Much of the current research into cellular dysfunction centers on how to fix cells after they have been broken, due to genetic mutation. Dr. Haring’s research involves understanding molecular mechanisms of DNA metabolism, which are important in preventing mutations from occurring. This is analogous to performing preventive maintenance, instead of only fixing things after they are broken.
“This award will allow us to probe into how Replication Protein A (RPA) modifications affect its cellular function, especially in response to DNA damage,” said Dr. Haring. “The research will also provide insight into the molecular mechanisms by which modification of RPA directs its many functions, which is currently undetermined. Ultimately, a better understanding of these basic DNA maintenance mechanisms will potentially allow for the development of methods to prevent cellular defects by preventing mutation.”
In plant sciences research, Dr. Robert Brueggeman, assistant professor in plant pathology at NDSU, is being awarded $623,363 as a five-year CAREER award for research that examines mechanisms of disease resistance in cereal crops. Titled “Rapid stem rust resistance responses in barley; non host resistance,” Dr. Brueggeman’s research will fill gaps in knowledge of the interactions that occur between important pathogens and the cereal hosts that they attack. This includes how the plants mount defensive mechanisms to arrest the pathogen and how environmental factors, including high temperatures, can subvert plant defense against pathogens.
“This research is significant because the understanding of how disease resistance operates against important cereal crop pathogens will allow the maintenance of food security and keep the production of diverse crops an economically viable option for producers,” said Dr. Brueggeman. “We also need to understand why some important resistance mechanisms don’t work in different environmental conditions, including temperature fluctuation.”
Dr. Brueggeman’s research targets fundamental questions about the function of plant immunity and how to breed or engineer resistance mechanisms that are more resilient to changing biotic and environmental stimuli. “This information will allow breeders an understanding of the different mechanisms of disease resistance in barley and other cereal crops, including wheat, which will allow for a more informed deployment of different defense mechanisms to achieve durable genetic resistance,” he said.
Efforts will also focus on recruiting underrepresented groups to participate in Dr. Brueggeman’s research. Students participating in the Nurturing American Tribal Undergraduate Research and Education (NATURE) program have opportunities through a summer research session and a science academy to engage in plant pathology research in Dr. Brueggeman’s lab. As a member of the Kutenai tribe, Dr. Brueggeman notes that similar science opportunities through tribal agencies were instrumental in creating his own interest in plant sciences and genetics. NATURE is an educational outreach program sponsored by the North Dakota Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (ND EPSCoR).
Dr. Brueggeman received his Ph.D., in crop sciences from Washington State University, Pullman, Wash. Dr. Haring earned his Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
Since 1996, National Science Foundation CAREER awardees at NDSU have received more than $8.7 million in grants to conduct research in biology, biochemistry, chemistry, civil and electrical engineering, computer science, pharmaceutical sciences, plant sciences, and coatings and polymeric materials.
The National Science Foundation CAREER program recognizes and supports the early career-development activities of scholars who are likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century. Recipients are chosen on the basis of creative career development plans that integrate research and education within the context of their university’s mission.
About North Dakota State UniversityNDSU, Fargo, North Dakota, USA, is notably listed among the top 108 U.S. public and private universities in the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education’s category of “Research Universities/Very High Research Activity.” As a student-focused, land grant, research institution, NDSU is listed in the Top 100 research universities in the U.S. for R&D in computer science, chemistry, physical sciences, psychology, social sciences, and agricultural sciences, based on research expenditures reported to the National Science Foundation. www.ndsu.edu/research
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