UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences has awarded short-term financial support to select ongoing life sciences research projects facing unexpected funding cancellations or delays due to shifting federal budgets or grant processing lags. Announced in April, the Bridge Funding Program awards provide up to $20,000 to, as the name suggests, bridge the gap until externally awarded funds are processed.
“Our hope is that this strategic, short-term support can preserve research momentum, student training opportunities and the pursuit of discoveries that address global scientific challenges,” said Christina Grozinger, director of the Huck Institutes and the Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology.
Four recipients were selected based on the urgency of their research. One project seeks to help growers improve management of their farms by understanding how microbial dynamics in agricultural soils influence greenhouse gas production. A second project is examining how processes in plant cells can be leveraged for biofuel production. The third project is providing novel insights into how malaria parasites proliferate and cause illness, while the fourth project is supporting undergraduate training in technologies to understand and improve animal health. These projects span the Huck’s new strategic research themes of Future Foods, Health for Life, Translational Science and Public Impact, and Life at all Scales. The projects are supporting two graduate students from the Huck’s interdisciplinary graduate degree programs in ecology and plant science, as well as two undergraduate students, helping the next generation of scientists receive the opportunities they need to be successful.
From cellulose to biofuels
Graduate student Donghui Wei is leading research on cellulose synthase complex trafficking in plant cells, a critical process for efficient biofuel production from cellulosic biomass — the parts of plants that cannot be digested. Using advanced techniques including live-cell imaging, genome editing, proteomics — where all the proteins in a cell are identified and quantified — and machine learning, her project aims to uncover plant-specific mechanisms that control cellulose synthesis.
Ying Gu, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, requested bridge funding to support Wei through the completion of the remaining experiments and finalizing her dissertation. Although Gu’s U.S. National Science Foundation proposal has been recommended for funding, delays in grant processing have left a temporary gap.
Uncovering mechanisms underlying malaria parasite reproduction
Researchers studying the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum are making significant strides in uncovering how the organism determines male and female sexual identities — an essential step in the parasite’s life cycle and transmission. Led by Manuel Llinas, Ernest C. Pollard Professor in Biotechnology, the team has leveraged advanced molecular techniques to map gene expression across multiple parasite genotypes to identify the earliest sex-specific developmental events. Since a parasite’s sex impacts how and when they can transmit, these insights could pave the way for next-generation transmission-blocking therapies, the team said.
Facing unexpected project costs and federal budget delays, the team requested short-term bridge funding to continue critical experiments using different genotypes of the parasites and high-resolution analysis techniques. Their recent findings revealed novel parasite behaviors that challenge previous assumptions, the researchers said, highlighting the urgency of completing this work. The funding will allow the team to sustain momentum during funding delays.
Training next-generation scientists using animal health technologies
A summer research program for undergraduates focused on animal health technologies at Penn State has been partially salvaged after unexpected funding disruptions. Originally supported by a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates grant, titled “Bridging the Gap: Training Next Generation Scientists Using Animal Health Technologies,” the project was paused by a stop work order issued by the lead institution.
Bridge funding requested by Burt Staniar, associate professor of equine science, was awarded to allow two students — Alexa Lazor from Penn State and Kia Hayman from Lincoln University — to participate in the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) from June through July. SROP is a Big Ten Academic Alliance program that aims to provide students with unparalleled research and professional development opportunities that can prepare them for future studies and careers in research.
Understanding how the microbial community influences nitrous oxide production
Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas nearly 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Doctoral student Jonah Gray is investigating how soil microbial dynamics influence nitrous oxide production.
Gray’s project tracks small molecules and metabolites in soil microbes under anaerobic conditions. His research has revealed strong correlations between microbial activity and nitrous oxide emissions, with preliminary findings suggesting that community-level analysis can improve predictions of greenhouse gas output from soils, potentially informing new mitigation strategies.
Replacement funding for Gray's summer research, which was originally supported by the now-canceled Climate-smart Agriculture that is profitable, Regenerative, Actionable, and Trustworthy (CARAT) program, was requested by Estelle Couradeau, assistant professor of ecosystem science and management, to allow Gray to continue field sampling and data analysis for the first chapter of his dissertation.