Congratulations to the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center (ABRC), led by Dr. Dave Somers, which recently received a two-year, $400,000 CSBR: Capacity grant that began in December 2021.

The ABRC stores, amplifies and distributes seeds, plasmid clones and other resources of Arabidopsis thaliana, a key model system for plant research. For 30 years, the ABRC has had a global role in facilitating essential and fundamental plant research promoting critical discoveries in photosynthesis and plant development that are instrumental in promoting agricultural improvement, green technology, and basic medical research. This award supports the ABRC's core mission to inexpensively distribute DNA and seed resources to the plant biology community, and to support plant science education by providing seeds and teaching resources free-of-charge to K-12 teachers, and allows the Center to collaborate on the inclusion of resources for additional Brassicaceae species, especially Thlaspi arvense (pennycress), a species that has potential oil crop and biodiesel applications.

Congratulations to Dave and the Center!