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Complementary Mutations: A Rollercoaster of Scientific Discovery

Impact

Photo of Dr. Ross Sozzani in greenhouse

Feb 8, 2021

PSI Profile: Ross Sozzani, Platform Director for Plant Improvement

The plant improvement platform director for the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative shares her vision: collaboration, innovative crop technologies and students ready for the workforce. 
Photo of muscadine grapes on the vine.

Nov 30, 2020

Chemical Compounds in Foods Can Inhibit a Key SARS-CoV-2 Enzyme

Green tea, muscadine grape and dark chocolate chemical compounds inhibit an important SARS-CoV-2 enzyme. 
A corn field in North Carolina

Oct 27, 2020

NC State Teams Up with SAS and Microsoft to Predict Plant Disease and Tackle Food Recalls

The North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative has teamed up with technology leaders SAS and Microsoft to predict plant disease and tackle food recalls. Several research teams will use cloud and internet of things (IoT) services from SAS and Microsoft for their interdisciplinary projects. 
Photo of a row of corn in a cornfield.

Oct 12, 2020

Grant Continues Support of Crop DNA Replication Research

A new NSF grant will allow two Plant and Microbial Biology professors to continue their work of 17 years unraveling how plants control DNA replication and how this influences agronomic traits. 
Hannah Burrack standing in a corn field

Oct 7, 2020

N.C. PSI Names New Platform Directors

The North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative named four new platform directors and the interim director of operations. Dr. Ross Sozzani from PMB is names as one of the four new platform directors. These leaders will guide the initiative’s research, Extension and education activities. Dr. Ross Sozzani from PMB is names as one of the four new platform directors. 
A small, red fly on a blueberry, against a black background.

Aug 31, 2020

A New IDEA: Pairing Trainees with Computational Experts During the Pandemic

This spring in the midst of a pandemic, a committee of CALS faculty members matched graduate students and postdocs with data they needed to analyze or model computationally to computational experts with the necessary expertise. Learn more about how the collaboration is going for three trainees. 
NC State Memorial Belltower

Aug 14, 2020

Kleiner Receives NIH Grant to Study Intestinal Microbiomes

Manuel Kleiner receives prestigious NIH grant to study intestinal microbe interactions. 
A sandy field of soybeans

Jun 29, 2020

Using Leaf Fungi to Improve Crop Resilience

An interdisciplinary team led by Christine Hawkes is identifying beneficial fungi found in five key crops with the aim of using them to help plants fend off diseases and tolerate drought stress. 
A group of students in a corn field as the sun sets. (From Summer 2019)

Jun 22, 2020

CALS Researchers Return to the Bench and Field

As NC State ramps up the Research Restart process, here’s how three researchers from across the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are returning to the lab bench and test field after time away due to COVID-19. 
Seedlings with mutations in genes involved in making a plant growth hormone have curly cotyledons, the first two “leaves” of a plant shoot, or short roots. (Labeled seedlings on black)

Jun 3, 2020

Complementary Mutations: A Rollercoaster of Scientific Discovery

NC State researchers discover a new genetic mutation that could “fix” another mutation in the same gene, an enzyme involved in making a plant growth hormone — after a rollercoaster of ups and downs.