Funding for this grant comes from the DOE-Headquarters Office of Energy Research. The principal investigator for the research is Dr. Alice Barkin, of the University of Oregon's Biology Department. Barkin said this research will help scientists better understand the complex chemical reactions in chloroplasts during the photosynthesis process. Photosynthesis is the process in which plants use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into a simple sugar called glucose.
Glucose fuels the cell and allows it to produce other substances such as starches and carbohydrates.