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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: September 25, 2009
A team of researchers, including Mark Hay, Julia Kubanek, and Terry Snell from Georgia Tech's School of Biology, have been awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health for the exploration, conservation, and development of marine biodiversity in Fiji.
This project focuses on marine microbes and Fijian coral reef organisms as producers of biologically active secondary metabolites that can be developed as pharmaceuticals to address diseases of peoples of both the U.S. and developing countries, especially in the South Pacific. Additional goals are the conservation of biotic resources on coral reefs and economic development of coastal Fijian villages based on sustainable practices. The specific aims of their project are to discover small molecule drug leads from biodiverse coral reef organisms and marine microbes of Fiji, to build local institutions and attitudes to enhance the conservation of marine biodiversity, and to undertake these goals in ways that provide positive economic incentives for the owners of these marine environments.
