9313532 Dwelle This award will provide funding for the renovation of the greenhouse and headhouse facilities at the University of Idaho, the primary institution for research and graduate training in the state. The departments using the facilities include: Biology, Bacteriology and Biochemistry, and Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences. Although the facilities are structurally sound, numerous inadequacies exist and impede on the research activities conducted, most notably in the areas of genetic engineering and the biological control of organisms. The greenhouses do not meet federal requirements for containment or use of genetically engineered plants and microorganisms, or for the rearing of exotic biological control agents. The needed renovations will include improving the HVAC and electrical systems and upgrading the environmental control systems. In addition, containment facilities for transgenic plants and exotic biological control agents that meet required specifications, environmental growth chambers, cold rooms and sterilization units will be provided. The renovation project will increase research productivity in all areas, particularly in biotechnology-related science, and provide scientists with an opportunity to enhance the quality and scope of their research base and graduate student training capabilities.
