Who would have thought there was a connection between fireflies and the fight against terrorism? Scientists and the federal government have been working hand in hand for years to better understand bioluminescence, the giving off of light by an organism, because of its ability to support military operations. Now, the U.S. Air Force, in a $225,000 contract, is taking a closer look at the work of Connecticut College’s Bruce Branchini and his work with fireflies and jellyfish.
In his proposal to the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Branchini said the objective of his project is to “discover, design and demonstrate the feasibility of bioluminescent materials for use in tactical and logistics illumination and anti-tamper applications.”
Bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon in which light is produced by organisms such as the firefly, jellyfish and plankton. Branchini, Hans & Ella McCollum-Vahlteich ’21 Professor of Chemistry, has worked with undergraduates, research assistants and research scientists for 25 years investigating the basic biochemistry behind it.
A separate, $12,000 National Science Foundation grant will fund the work of two undergraduate students in Branchini’s ongoing research on the firefly.
In 2002, the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute reported receiving $1 million a year in such federal funding “because of its potential importance in fighting terrorism. The military has long been interested in studying bioluminescence because, when excited by ships and submarines, those light shows can give away vessels’ positions … . By the same token, bioluminescence can help the military spot and track enemy vessels. Indeed, in 1918, it was bioluminescence that gave away the position of the last German U-boat sunk during World War I.”
Branchini’s bioluminescence research groups have developed novel methods for purifying the protein that catalyzes the light-emitting reaction. They have also used synthetic organic techniques to prepare novel substrates for the firefly protein (luciferin) and substrates for a bioluminescent jellyfish, which emits blue and green light. Most recently, his lab is using molecular biology methods to produce mutant luciferase proteins with properties that are desirable for such applications as drug screening and mechanistic studies.
In 2002, Branchini was awarded the Nancy Batson Nisbet Rash Faculty Research Award, presented annually by Connecticut College at Convocation and providing a research fund to one of the most outstanding and highly regarded members of the faculty. Ranked among the most selective private liberal arts colleges in the nation, Connecticut College has an enrollment of 1,800 men and women from 43 states, the District of Columbia, and 56 countries. The college is particularly known for interdisciplinary studies, innovative international programs, paid internships, and a wide range of student-faculty research opportunities. Founded in 1911, the college operates under an 81-year-old honor code and has no Greek system. The scenic 750-acre campus is managed as an arboretum and overlooks Long Island Sound. For more information, see www.conncoll.edu. Connecticut College is located at 270 Mohegan Ave., New London.
|
