NSF approves $1.3 million for researchers at Okla. universities to

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Sep 22, 2008

The National Science Foundation has approved a $1.3 million grant for researchers at Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma to discover new kinds of microorganisms in natural habitats.

The five-year grant will enable scientists to detect, identify and isolate unique microorganisms in southwestern Oklahoma.

Researchers will use a spring 30 miles west of Anadarko as a microbial observatory to identify and study four groups of bacteria, their metabolic capabilities and ecological role in the spring, said Mostafa Elshahed, assistant professor in the microbiology and molecular genetics department at OSU.

"Because these bacteria come from an environment in which oxygen is rare, some sophisticated isolation strategies will be used in the laboratory as we verify their environmental role and avoid the presence of oxygen, which can kill them," said Elshahed.

The grant will also fund an educational outreach component that will allow high school students to get involved in the project. They will be asked to participate in a summer laboratory to conduct research and present findings at a symposium through the Junior Science and Humanities Symposia at Oklahoma State University.