Projects

Computational Studies of Nanoparticle Formation and Bulk Properties for Biomineralization

Lead Institution

University of Alabama

Principal Investigator

David Dixon

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

There is a critical need to develop an understanding of nanoparticle and mineral formation in systems that contain H2O, metal ions and CO2 as carbonation and hydrolysis reactions are important for…

Atomic Resolution of the Structure and Fungal Degradation of Wood Secondary Cell Walls

Lead Institution

Michigan State University

Principal Investigator

Tuo Wang

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The proposed research aims at obtaining atomic-level information to construct four structural models that reflect the supramolecular architecture of plant secondary cell walls in hardwoods and…

Aerosol-Ice Formation Closure Study Applying Ambient Aerosol Particles

Lead Institution

State University of New York at Stony Brook

Principal Investigator

Daniel Knopf

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Atmospheric ice nucleation represents one of the least understood atmospheric processes, hampering prediction of cloud processes and climate. Whereas the aerosol community has widely conducted…

Structural characterization of nodule-specific cysteine-rich antifungal peptides and their phospholipid receptors for elucidation of their modes of action

Lead Institution

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Principal Investigator

Dilip Shah

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a major component of innate immunity against infectious diseases in animals and plants [2]. A feature prominent in many families of AMPs, such as defensins (Figure 1…

Coupling Measurements and Modeling to Understand the Lifecycle of Secondary Organic Aerosol over Local to Regional Scales

Lead Institution

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Jerome Fast

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Our hypothesis is that a better understanding of fast-reacting processes, such as the chemistry of volatile organic compounds associated with isoprene having a lifetime of ~minutes, is needed to make…

Palmitoylation is a dynamic regulator of plant receptor localization and function

Lead Institution

University of Missouri - Columbia

Principal Investigator

Gary Stacey

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Recent data indicate that competition between plant plasma membrane (PM) receptor palmitoylation and autophosphorylation defines inactive and active states, respectively. Hence, for any given…

The formation of pyrite and incorporation of trace element and water inclusions: a view from modern depositional settings

Lead Institution

University of Toronto

Principal Investigator

Daniel Gregory

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

This project utilizes atom probe tomography (APT) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to investigate microcrystalline masses of pyrite (FeS2) at the nano-scale. These analyses will be…

In situ tracking of carbon flow through the soil microbiome

Lead Institution

Institute of Microbiology of the CAS

Principal Investigator

Petr Baldrian

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Forest soils represent an environment with high carbon (C) stocks and important hotspots of C turnover and microorganisms are the most important actors in this process. The understanding of the C…

Probing the Extreme Temperature and Salinity Limits of Deep Subsurface CH4-cycling Chemolithoautotrophic Microbial Syntrophic Communities and Their Assembly Using NanoSIMS and FISH-TAMB

Lead Institution

Princeton University

Principal Investigator

Tullis Onstott

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The specific aim of this Large-Scale EMSL proposal is to image the metabolic interactions of deep subsurface anaerobic CH4-cycling microbial consortia: 1) at high pressure and temperature; 2) at high…

Nature of Natural Organic Matter Interactions with Mineral Surfaces

Lead Institution

St. Mary's College of Maryland

Principal Investigator

Geoffrey Bowers

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The interactions of organic- and bio-molecules with minerals play a central role in controlling soil biogeochemistry; plant nutrition; chemical processes in sediments, soils, sedimentary rocks and…

Visualizing Uranium Atom Exchange in UO2 Driven by Biogeochemical Processes

Lead Institution

Washington University in St. Louis

Principal Investigator

Daniel Giammar

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Redox-driven recrystallization of metal oxides is an exciting environmental phenomenon that can influence biogeochemical cycles of both nutrients and contaminants. This phenomena occurs in systems…

Functional characterization of a defined Panicum rhizobiome

Lead Institution

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Esther Singer

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Nitrogen limitation is a global challenge for biofuel crop resilience and hence bioenergy security. Plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) can help to mitigate plant stress by forming symbiotic…

Manganese biomineralization by the bacterial protein complex Mnx

Lead Institution

University of Washington

Principal Investigator

Bradley Tebo

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Manganese-oxide mineral formation by bacterial oxidation of dissolved Mn(II) is an important process in aquatic and soil environments and is a key part of the global Mn cycle. The Mn bio-oxides…

Mechanisms of Nitrogen Fixation by Endophytes of Populus

Lead Institution

University of Washington

Principal Investigator

Sharon Doty

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Native poplar (Populus) plants have a diverse microbiota including endophytes, microorganisms that live within plants, some of which can fix atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into forms of nitrogen (N)…

Probing the Martian atmosphere and hydrosphere using micro and nanoscale analyses

Lead Institution

Royal Ontario Museum

Principal Investigator

Kimberly Tait-Sena

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

The aim of this study is to fully characterize the micro- and nano-structural shock effects in Martian phosphate and sulfide minerals using cutting-edge EMSL instrumentation including: Transmission…

Studying the Evolution of Atmospheric Aerosol at the High-altitude Mountain Station of Mt. Cimone, Italy

Lead Institution

CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche

Principal Investigator

Angela Marinoni

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Free tropospheric air contains a mixture of aerosol from far sources -- through long-range transport -- as well as, local emissions -- through vertical mixing of air from the planetary boundary layer…

Epitaxial thin films as model battery electrodes - The reaction front and ionic diffusion

Lead Institution

University of Colorado at Boulder

Principal Investigator

Michael Toney

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Energy conversion and storage is of great importance to a sustainable environment and meeting our energy needs. However, fundamental scientific understanding of rechargeable batteries is far behind…

The Lignin Enigma: Turning the Corner

Lead Institution

Washington State University

Principal Investigator

Norman Lewis

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Lignins (Nature's second most abundant terrestrial plant substances) provide structural support for plants to stand upright, to conduct water/nutrients, and as barriers to opportunistic…

Connecting genomic capabilities to physiology, photosynthesis and carbon cycling

Lead Institution

Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Principal Investigator

Alexandra Worden

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

More than 50% of global primary production is performed by land plants and green algae. Of all algae green algae are the most closely related to land plants and therefore provide powerful single cell…

The Organic Surfactant Pool on Secondary Organic Aerosol Particles

Lead Institution

Northwestern University

Principal Investigator

Franz Geiger

Project type

Large-Scale EMSL Research

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles particles rank among the least understood atmospheric constituents in the climate system. Key questions concern their poorly quantified roles in cloud…