CWU Natural Science Seminar Series Continues Friday

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the genetic material found within the nucleus of all living things. In plants, DNA also is found in the chloroplast, the part containing chlorophyll, where photosynthesis occurs within the cells. Through mapping and sequencing, genomics projects seek to characterize all the DNA of a particular part of the cell.

Dr. Linda Raubeson, Central Washington University biological sciences professor, is among those looking at chloroplast genomes. Raubeson, who teaches evolution, genetics, and plant biology at Central, will discuss "Insights into seed plant phylogeny from comparative chloroplast genomics" at CWU's next fall quarter natural science seminar. It's scheduled for Friday, Dec. 2, at 4 p.m. in Science Building 147.

"The goal of comparative genomics research is to understand how genes are structured, how they've evolved and how they function," Raubeson says. "Genomics data can also be used to understand the evolutionary relationships of organisms."

Seed plants are the most important types of land plants but their relationships are poorly understood. An understanding of the connections between different seed plant species has been essential in developing new medicine and in genetic engineering efforts to produce superior plant varieties, according to Raubeson.

The application of genomics data to seed plant relationships will be the focus of her presentation. For more information about Raubeson's free, public presentation, or for persons of disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call (509) 963-2731, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-2143.

Contact: Dr. Dan Beck (509-963-2886/fax 509-963-2730/e-mail: beckd@cwu.edu)

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