In May 2025, Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences announced a Bridge Funding Program, designed to provide short-term financial support to ongoing life sciences research projects facing unexpected funding cancellations or delays due to shifting federal budgets or grant processing lags. Awards were provided to support time-sensitive sample analysis in one of the Huck’s 11 Core Facilities, ongoing maintenance of research animals, or graduate student stipends.
Four recipients were selected based on the urgency of their research. One project seeks to help growers improve management of their farms, by understanding how microbial dynamics in agricultural soils influence greenhouse gas production. A second project is examining how processes in plant cells can be leveraged for biofuel production. The third project is providing novel insights into how malaria parasites proliferate and cause illness, while the fourth project is supporting undergraduate training in using cutting edge animal health technologies. These projects spanned the Huck’s new strategic research themes of Future Foods, Health for Life, Translational Science and Public Impact, and Life at all Scales. The projects are supporting two graduate students from the Huck’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Degree programs in Ecology and Plant Science, as well as two undergraduate students, ensuring that the next generation of scientists receive the opportunities they need to be successful.
Understanding how the microbial community influences nitrous oxide production
Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a greenhouse gas nearly 300 times more potent than CO₂. Ph.D. student Jonah Gray is pioneering our understanding of how soil microbial dynamics influence N₂O production.
Gray’s project uses innovative techniques for tracking small molecules and metabolites in soil microbes under anaerobic conditions, revealing strong correlations between microbial activity and N₂O emissions. Preliminary findings suggest that community-level analysis can improve predictions of greenhouse gas output from soils, potentially informing new mitigation strategies.
Replacement funding for Gray's summer research, which was originally supported by the now-canceled Climate-smart Agriculture that is profitable, Regenerative, Actionable, and Trustworthy (CARAT) program, was requested by Estelle Couradeau, Assistant Professor of Ecosystem Science & Management, to allow Gray to continue field sampling and data analysis for the first chapter of his dissertation.
From cellulose to biofuels
Graduate student Donghui Wei is leading cutting-edge research on cellulose synthase complex (CSC) trafficking in plant cells, a critical process for efficient biofuel production from cellulosic biomass. Her work explores how CSCs, essential for synthesizing cellulose at the plasma membrane, are regulated through membrane trafficking pathways such as exocytosis and endocytosis.
Using advanced techniques including live-cell imaging, genome editing, proteomics, and machine learning, her project aims to uncover plant-specific mechanisms that control cellulose synthesis. Ying Gu, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, requested bridge funding to support Wei through the completion of the remaining experiments and finalizing her dissertation. Although Gu’s NSF proposal has been recommended for funding, delays in grant processing have left a temporary gap.
Uncovering mechanisms underlying malaria parasite reproduction
Researchers studying the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum are making significant strides in uncovering how the organism determines male and female sexual identities—an essential step in the parasite’s life cycle and transmission. Led by Manuel Llinas, Ernest C. Pollard Professor in Biotechnology, the team has leveraged single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to map gene expression across multiple parasite genotypes and identify the earliest sex-specific developmental events. These insights could pave the way for next-generation transmission-blocking therapies.
Facing unexpected project costs and federal budget delays, the team requested short-term bridge funding to continue critical experiments using genetically attenuated strains and high-resolution sequencing techniques. Their recent findings reveal novel parasite behaviors that challenge previous assumptions, highlighting the urgency of completing this work. The funding will allow the team to sustain momentum during funding delays.
Training Next Generation Scientists Using Animal Health Technologies
A summer research program for undergraduates focused on animal health technologies at Penn State has been partially salvaged after unexpected funding disruptions. Originally supported by a USDA-NIFA REEU grant titled “Bridging the Gap: Training Next Generation Scientists Using Animal Health Technologies,” the project was impacted by a stop work order issued by the lead institution.
Bridge funding requested by Burt Staniar, Associate Professor of Equine Science, was awarded to allow two students, Alexa Lazor (Penn State) and Kia Hayman (Lincoln University), to participate fully in the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) from June through July, providing them with unparalleled research and professional development opportunities which can prepare them for future studies and careers in this field.
These bridge funding awards demonstrate how strategic, short-term support can preserve research momentum, student training opportunities, and the pursuit of discoveries that address global scientific challenges.