Achievement

Several IGERT trainees have made substantial progress on their research projects during the last year, including achievements in hydrogenase cluster biosynthesis and measurements of the gas composition of ice from Antarctica. Each of these trainees achieved significant milestones in training, networking, presentation and publication. S. McGlynn combined two trips to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to work on the structure and function of hydrogenases using advanced computational methods. S. Montross obtained a data set at an international facility on the concentrations of gases in basal glacial ice, which was collected in Fall 2007 from the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica. The gas composition results are especially exciting and have direct relevance for suggesting possible biological sources of specific gases such as CO2.