Projects | Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Visualizing Manganese Biomineralization by the Mnx Protein Complex within the Exosporium of Mn-oxidizing Bacillus species

Lead Institution

University of Washington

Principal Investigator

Bradley Tebo

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Microbial production of manganese oxide minerals is a globally important biomineralization process that drives the manganese cycle in the environment. This cycle supports life through the manganese…

Manipulating chloroplast metabolism by controlling ferredoxin dependent electron distribution

Lead Institution

Michigan State University

Principal Investigator

Daniela Strenkert

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Plant type Ferredoxins (Fds) are small soluble electron carriers within the chloroplast of photosynthetic eukaryotes. During oxygenic photosynthesis, linear electron flow (LEF) collects electrons…

Developing an Automated Smart Method for Searching the Configurational Space of Micronutrients in Host Minerals, Proteins, and Soils

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Eugene Ilton

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

In prior EMSL supported work we developed an ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) approach to interpret the EXAFS signal of impurities/micronutrients in the structure of Fe(oxyhydroxide) host minerals…

Elucidating the Ice Formation and Transformation Pathways in Aerosols at Atomic Resolution

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Jingshan Du

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Ice formation and transformation in aerosols are critical in defining atmospheric processes and human activities. Despite efforts to study ice formation using macro- and micro-scale approaches,…

How do wildfire severity and post-fire precipitation influence fate and transport of pyrogenic organic carbon and nitrogen in terrestrial-aquatic interfaces?

Lead Institution

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Principal Investigator

Alex Chow

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Wildfire significantly changes the composition and quantity of forest biomass, converting lignin and polysaccharide rich and relatively degradable carbon pools to polycyclic aromatic and charcoal…

The Influence of Particle Phase State on the Growth Kinetics of Secondary Organic Aerosols

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Rahul Zaveri

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

We propose to investigate the influences of particle phase state and possible phase separation on the growth kinetics of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) formed from oxidation of selected…

Understanding the impact of drought on native cell wall nanoarchitecture of engineered plants via multi-dimensional solid-state NMR and cryo-TEM.

Lead Institution

University of Adelaide

Principal Investigator

Jennifer Mortimer

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Plant biomass (essentially the cell wall) is the carbon source that will underpin a sustainable bioeconomy. Drought can severely affect plant growth and reduces crop yield and quality, and is a…

Investigating the Role of Drought-Impacted Root Exudates on Rhizosphere Microbial Metabolism and Viral Dynamics for Improving Tall Wheatgrass Drought Tolerance

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Sneha Couvillion

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The rhizosphere is the center of interactions between roots, soil, and microbes, where chemical exchanges are key drivers of microbial composition, plant productivity, and resilience to abiotic…

Investigating evolutionary constraints on carbon fixation by Ribulose-1,6-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco)

Lead Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Principal Investigator

Steven Burgess

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Rubisco catalyzes the fixation of CO2 and is the primary site of entry for carbon into the biosphere. The enzyme is slow and subject to competitive inhibition by oxygen. The oxygenation reaction…

Understanding structure-function relationship in enzymes by designing artificial enzymes

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Bojana Ginovska

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

We propose to study how the protein environment affects functionality by designing an artificial enzyme. We will investigate the artificial enzyme Rh-LmrR which comprises an Rh-based molecular…

Exploring gas migration and diffusion pathways in CODH/ACS using molecular simulations

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Simone Raugei

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

In the coming decade, our planet is going to face several environmental and energy related problems which directly relate to the biological fixation of carbon dioxide CO2 into organic carbon which…

Nitrogen Fixation by Nitrogenase

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Simone Raugei

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The bacterial catalyst for N2 fixation is a multi-subunit metalloenzyme comprising two electron carrier Fe proteins and the MoFe protein core. This complex catalyzes the reduction of N2 to NH3 and H2…

Elucidating the effects of root responses to moderate soil nutrient limitation on mineral bioweathering processes

Lead Institution

University of British Columbia

Principal Investigator

Jean-Thomas Cornelis

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The excessive use of mineral fertilizer has become a critical contributor to global environmental issues. To control the environmental impacts of agricultural expansion, we need a significant…

Cellular controls on carbon source-sink dynamics in deglaciated soils

Lead Institution

McGill University

Principal Investigator

Lyle Whyte

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

When glaciers in polar regions recede because of ongoing climate change, they expose large new areas of nutrient-poor soil. These “pioneer soils,” which have been trapped under the ice and devoid of…

Novel AI approach to unravel complex protein folding landscapes: towards better bioeconomy

Lead Institution

Chalmers University of Technology

Principal Investigator

Pernilla E L Wittung-Stafshede

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Many proteins, especially enzymes, need to bind metal ion cofactors, or gain other posttranslational modifications (PTM), to be active. None of these processes are static; protein structures are…

Developing the proteome network regulating structure and function of root-development of switchgrass on marginal lands

Lead Institution

Tennessee State University

Principal Investigator

Suping Zhou

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Abstract: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a leading biomass perrenial grass native to the United States. Switchgrass plants are known for tolerance of poor soil conditions, mainly due to its…

Uncovering dynamic changes in metabolism and signaling across cell types in the Sorghum bicolor stem using multiomics

Lead Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Principal Investigator

Amy Marshall-Colon

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Sorghum bicolor is an important bioenergy crop because it has high nutrient and water use efficiency, and produces a large quantity of biomass that can be processed into ethanol for biofuels. Many…

Transformations of organic coatings in light-absorbing aerosols released by biomass burning, and associated impacts on the interactions with clouds

Lead Institution

Michigan Technological University

Principal Investigator

Claudio Mazzoleni

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

We propose to employ the unique analytical capabilities at EMSL to study samples collected during ongoing ASR DOE-funded projects. The goal is to study the interactions of black carbon-containing…

Single Particle Characterization for Interpreting Ice Nucleating Particle Measurements in the SAIL Field Study

Lead Institution

Colorado State University

Principal Investigator

Paul Demott

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Ice formation in clouds is a process that is still not fully understood, yet critically affects precipitation, cloud lifetime, and the radiation balance. Mixed-phase clouds in the Western U.S…

Illuminating emergent properties underlying complex carbon degradation within communities of soil microorganisms

Lead Institution

University of Pittsburgh

Principal Investigator

Erik Wright

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Soil microorganisms play a key role in the global carbon cycle by degrading the complex carbon molecules comprising plant litter and cell detritus. This provides a critical ecosystem service by…