BRDG Advantages: Research

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Scientific research at the Danforth Plant Science Center is conducted with the goal of looking outward, working toward discoveries that will provide important solutions to big problems, such as drought, malnutrition, hunger and health, as well as preserving our planet.

Growth Facility

Located on the campus of BRDG Park, the Danforth Science Center’s Plant Growth facility is one of the most technologically advanced growth facilities in the nation. This state-of-the-art facility includes 49 plant growth chambers and rooms, as well as 29 greenhouse compartments that are semi-attached to the main building by a 64-foot fully enclosed linker corridor.

  • Greenhouse I – 12,500 sq. ft. facility featuring a mixture of houses with benches, floor-growth houses, higher light houses, a specialty house with limited propagation and sub-irrigation capability, as well as two air-conditioned houses for extremely tight year-round temperature control ability.
  • Greenhouse II – 16,700 sq. ft. facility with new specialty features that include six taller houses (14 ft. to eave) with in-floor heat for large crops, limited soil bed capability to more closely approximate in-ground conditions, higher light-intensity houses, a sub-irrigation house for ebb and flood growth, a propagation house for enhanced starter plant capacity and an in-house biosafety sterilizer.
  • Conviron Growth Chambers and Growth Rooms – 2,784 sq. feet of controlled environment plant growth area containing 33 Conviron growth chambers and 16 Conviron growth rooms. The growth chambers have the capacity for variable lighting, temperature and humidity control, as well as some specialty features such as low temperature, dehumidification and CO2 concentration control. There also is a 450 sq. ft. potting area with a soils handling room that contains counters, sinks, storage shelves, a soil mixer, a biological materials sterilizer and a soil sterilizer.

Scientific Research Facilities

  • Integrated Microscopy Facility. The sophisticated microscopic equipment in the Integrated Microscopy Facility (IMF) at the Danforth Science Center allows scientists to see minute details of cells and tissues at great magnification, as well as conduct studies requiring three-dimensional imaging. Tools at the Danforth Science Center are used by Center scientists as well as surrounding universities, major corporations and biological start-up companies. In addition to its important research-oriented efforts, the IMF also has created a collection of 3D images using this equipment that straddles the boundary between art and science.
  • Tissue Culture and Plant Transformation Facility. The Danforth Science Center’s plant cell culture and transformation facility provides a common laboratory space where a wide range of plant transformation and culture systems can be utilized to assist researchers. The facility consists of an 880 sq. ft. single large lab for transformation and tissue culture work, a 950 sq. ft. facility of high quality culture growth space, and a media kitchen for media preparation. The 950 sq. ft. of high quality culture growth space comprises three large computer-controlled walk-in tissue culture rooms adding about 540 sq. ft. of growth space (shelf and shaker), ten Percival Scientific CU36L5 chamber units adding 272 sq. ft. of flexible culture space, and 144 sq. ft. of lighted rack space. The facility operates both as a full-service facility delivering transgenics and cell cultures to researchers and a self-service facility providing high quality workspace for researchers to use for their own specific project needs. The facility plays an important role in training scientists in the use of various systems for their research needs. Training workshops for the summer internship program are conducted here and are designed to help students learn the basics of plant cell and tissue culture. The facility is expanding, with the ultimate goal of providing optimal and evolving services for Center scientists as well as researchers at other institutions in the region.
  • Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Facility. The Danforth Science Center’s Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry facility provides Center scientists with access to state-of-the-art instrumentation and technology designed to facilitate the exploration of complex biological systems. Providing high quality biomolecule analyses and first-rate data publication quality results for all clients, the facility trains and serves internal as well as external scientists. With highly specialized capabilities and research initiatives, the facility serves as a regional and national resource in the expanding fields of proteomics and metabolomics.