Plant Sources

Faculty: Brian Ayre, Kent Chapman

Plant productivity is central to any economy striving to harvest gains from plant-based renewable resources.  Certain cell-types in plants differentiate into strong yet flexible fibers with properties unique from each other and from synthetic fibers.  Analysis of this by existing cluster members produced two peer-reviewed manuscripts and a NSF proposal (D'Souza, Ayre, Stevens) exploring fiber development in relation to the fiber's contribution to composite properties.  Kevin Stevens' work on wetland plants offers a compelling argument benefits to bio-resources.  The basis for his approach lies in the capacity of wetland plants to remove contaminants such as nitrogen and phosphorus from water and incorporate them into plant tissues which may be harvested from the wetland environment and utilized for various applications.  Thus the bio-resource will fulfill a function during growth and its harvested product will be engineered into product.

"Made at UNT"

The Stevens' lab, in collaboration with the Ayre and D'Souza labs, has been identifying plants with potential for fiber utilization and/or processing for biofuels. Chapman's research interests include metabolic engineering of plant oils for industrial and human health applications.  Chapman anticipates working with newly recruited and current faculty in developing technologies that harness the genetically engineered products of his laboratory and bringing fundamental science developed in his plant signaling cluster.