{"id":93838,"date":"2024-06-14T16:15:50","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T20:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=93838"},"modified":"2024-06-14T16:49:00","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T20:49:00","slug":"research-aiming-to-boost-worldwide-food-security-among-brock-projects-awarded-3m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2024\/06\/research-aiming-to-boost-worldwide-food-security-among-brock-projects-awarded-3m\/","title":{"rendered":"Research aiming to boost worldwide food security among Brock projects awarded $3M"},"content":{"rendered":"

For more than three billion years, cyanobacteria, the blue-green algae seen in some lakes, has been converting sunlight to chemical energy through photosynthesis.<\/p>\n

Most of this process involves visible light humans can see. But Brock University Assistant Professor of Chemistry Divya Kaur Matta is curious about a particular species that uses an almost invisible portion of the colour spectrum to convert light and store energy \u2014 knowledge that could have powerful implications for agriculture.<\/p>\n

Matta was among 18 Brock researchers awarded funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), announced Friday, June 14.<\/p>\n

The University received more than $3 million from the 2024 round of Discovery Research Programs grants.<\/p>\n

Included was the work of Alonso Zavafer, whose interest also lies in light and crops, specifically colours given off by plants during photosynthesis.<\/p>\n

The Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences and Engineering is developing tools that use the colour of plants as a way of continually monitoring their health, nutrition and metabolism, another potential boon for the agriculture industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs these funding successes show, Brock researchers are continuing to expand their strengths in agricultural research,\u201d says Acting Vice-President, Research Michelle McGinn. \u201cWe are grateful for NSERC\u2019s support within this field and across the broad range of other topics funded this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matta\u2019s project involves studying a particular marine cyanobacterium called Acaryochloris marina (A. marina)<\/em>. This species contains pigment molecules called chlorophyll d that allows it to draw energy from far-red light, which is on the extreme red end of the visible colour spectrum. It is one step away from infrared light that is invisible to the human eye.<\/p>\n

Matta\u2019s research group, the Computational Biophysics Laboratory, is aiming to better understand how A. marina<\/em> and other species are able to gather and store energy under very low light conditions. She says such information could help boost global agriculture and food security.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis remarkable ability to adapt suggests that it could be used to engineer crops that thrive in shaded conditions and may even lead to innovations in sustainable energy,\u201d Matta says.<\/p>\n

Increasing food security is also the aim of Zavafer\u2019s research, which is in the field of \u2018biophotonics.\u2019<\/p>\n

A photon, the smallest particle of light, emits visible and near-visible light. Biophotonics includes studies of photons in biological systems to see if cells and tissues are healthy, playing a major role in medical imaging and therapeutic procedures.<\/p>\n

Zavafer\u2019s research group, the Biophonic Engineering Laboratory, aims to improve food security by providing farmers with cost-effective tools to monitor plant stress in crops.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne possible way to improve farming is by monitoring and controlling in real time the health, nutritional and metabolic content of crops,\u201d says Zavafer. \u201cThis project aims to identify, develop and refine photonic tools to monitor plant performance to support the agriculture, horticultural and forestry sectors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zavafer and Matta\u2019s work is being funded by NSERC\u2019s Discovery Grant<\/a>, which supports ongoing research programs with long-term goals rather than a single short-term project or collection of projects.<\/p>\n

Also announced June 14 was an NSERC PromoScience<\/a> grant, awarded to Professor of Biological Sciences Jeff Stuart for his \u201cLab-in-a-Box\u201d interactive outreach program, which brings free interactive laboratory experiences to schools and underprivileged youth groups.<\/p>\n

In addition, Brock researchers received funding from the Discovery Development Grant<\/a> and the Research Tools and Instruments Grant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Discovery Research Programs shows our government\u2019s commitment to advancing science and technology in Canada and beyond,\u201d says Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pleased to see the vibrant contributions Brock University researchers are making in the fields of chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, computer science, psychology and health sciences through their innovative research projects,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking over the list of research projects being supported by the Discovery Research Programs, I\u2019m impressed by the talent of the Brock University research community,\u201d says Chris Bittle, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines. \u201cThese projects will make significant inroads in health care, agriculture and technology, areas particularly relevant for Niagara as well as the rest of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recipients of the 2024 Discovery Grant are:<\/p>\n