Author: Stephanie Seay
Robert Hettich: Decoding biological complexity with next-gen mass spectrometry
Robert “Bob” Hettich has spent much of his career at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory demonstrating how high-performance analytical measurements, in particular mass spectrometry, can yield remarkable insights into the mysteries of tiny microbes and their impact on larger systems such as plants and humans. He uses mass spectrometry, a technology that […]
Tuskan awarded Marcus Wallenberg Prize, forestry’s top honor
Gerald Tuskan, director of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, or CBI, and a Corporate Fellow at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been awarded the Marcus Wallenberg Prize, the world’s highest honor in the field of forestry, for his pioneering work in sequencing and analyzing the first tree genome. The Wallenberg award is […]
Illuminating plant RNA in real time for better crops, biosecurity
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a first-ever method of detecting ribonucleic acid, or RNA, inside plant cells using a technique that results in a visible fluorescent signal. The technology can help researchers detect and track changes in RNA and gene expression in real time, providing a powerful tool for the development of […]
Rooted in discovery: Tuskan describes career advancing plant genomics
From sequencing the first tree genome to follow-on discoveries for better bioenergy crops, Gerald Tuskan has spent his career opening up new avenues of research to enable a thriving bioeconomy underpinned by technological advancement. Tuskan, director of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation and a Corporate Fellow at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, […]
Landmark photosynthesis gene discovery boosts plant height, advances crop science
A team of scientists with two Department of Energy Bioenergy Research Centers — the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, or CBI, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation, or CABBI, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — identified a gene in a poplar tree that enhances photosynthesis and can […]
Center for Bioenergy Innovation research supports Terragia biofuels approach
Using technology developed by researchers working with the Center for Bioenergy Innovation at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Dartmouth College, startup company Terragia Biofuel is targeting commercial biofuels production that relies on plant waste material and consumes less energy. The technology can help meet the demand for billions of gallons of […]
Tuskan named DOE Office of Science Distinguished Scientist Fellow
Gerald A. Tuskan, a Corporate Fellow and director of the Center for Bioenergy Innovation, or CBI, at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been selected as a DOE Distinguished Scientist Fellow, one of the highest honors bestowed by the agency’s Office of Science for outstanding scientific leadership and research community engagement.
Split-marker for plant gene stacking system wins R&D 100 Award
A novel system for genetic engineering in plants that makes it easy to add and study multiple genes simultaneously has won a 2024 R&D 100 Award. The technology developed by a team led by Xiaohan Yang at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory doubles the speed and halves the cost of transforming plants to exhibit desired physical traits.