The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute that combines research, education, health and commercialization to improve the human condition around the globe. Scientists apply the power of genomics to make research advances in disease and agriculture; and collaborate with a team of educators to create a more genomically-informed society while training the STEM workforce.
Opened in 2008, HudsonAlpha is uniquely positioned to translate scientific breakthroughs into market-ready solutions by co-locating entrepreneurs from around the globe to its campus. More than 40 companies in all stages of development are part of HudsonAlpha’s continuously growing state-of-the-art campus located in Cummings Research Park, the second largest research park in the nation.
This is the messiest room in the greenhouse, but that is what it was designed for. The potting education room is where the researchers plant and repot their plants.
The large room has plenty of space to store all of the materials that the researchers need for potting plants, including sterile soil, pots, and shovels.
Soil is home to many living organisms like bugs, bacteria, and fungi. Scientists in the greenhouse need to ensure these pests do not interfere with the health of their plants or the integrity of their experiments.
This state-of-the-art soil sterilizer uses high temperatures and steam to kill harmful organisms like fungal spores, bacteria, and weed seeds. Using an in-house soil sterilizer, scientists can produce large amounts of sterile soil on demand that can be used for potting and maintaining their plants.
The Plant Center team works closely with preserved seeds that hold valuable genetic information about the plant’s history. These seeds must be stored in specific conditions to protect their viability.
The seed storage vault is a temperature- and humidity-controlled room for safely storing seeds for up to ten years. Many other greenhouses use large fridges or freezers, which can ruin an entire supply of genetic information if a malfunction occurs.
HudsonAlpha’s seed storage vault uses special controls and a complex alarm mechanism that alerts the team of any changes in temperature or humidity. It is also accessible only with a badge to keep it extremely secure.
A unique component of the greenhouse is two on-site molecular labs, which are rare in most greenhouses. Before having an on-campus greenhouse, our Plant Center scientists would travel inconvenient distances to collaborators’ greenhouses to collect samples or walk samples from the grow rooms in another building to their lab spaces. With dedicated lab space in the greenhouse, scientists can now collect plant samples and walk them down the hall to the labs, saving time and preserving the integrity of samples.
The molecular labs are equipped with much of the same equipment that you will find in the laboratories in HudsonAlpha’s flagship building.
“Having lab space in the same facility as your plants allows you to do anything you can dream of doing; it means having no limitations.” Josh Clevenger, PhD
Members of the Plant Center team are experts at high-quality genome sequencing, assembly, and analysis.
The HudsonAlpha Genome Sequencing Center is one of very few centers worldwide performing de novo sequencing of plants and animals. De novo reference genomes serve as a point of comparison for future study and lay the foundation for downstream functional studies for the improvement and production of domesticated crops. In the case of crop species such as sorghum, soybean, cotton, switchgrass, and millet, these reference genomes form the basis for genomics-enabled crop breeding to increase yields.
The non-profit center has generated and publicly released reference genomes for more than 180 plant species, over half of those completed worldwide.
The glasshouse has walls and ceilings made entirely of glass. There are seven climate-controlled grow rooms that can closely replicate plants’ natural growing environments by manipulating parameters such as temperature, humidity, and day length.
Each of the seven grow rooms can maintain a unique temperature, lighting, and humidity level. This means that Dr. Clevenger can create the perfect environment for his peanuts, Dr. Swaminathan grows her grasses in a different environment, and Dr. Harkess helps his tropical plants thrive in a third environment.
The grow rooms have 15-foot ceilings, which not only help with airflow but also allow Dr. Swaminathan to grow tall grasses.
The garden will feature a mixture of native plants, research plants that are also growing inside the greenhouse, as well as several carefully designed educational exhibits to offer the public a hands-on learning experience. That way, members of the public can explore and admire the plants HudsonAlpha researchers are studying.
With expanding research projects, HudsonAlpha’s scientists need more field space to propagate plant species. This 2-acre research field will provide that much-needed space and allow scientists to observe plants up close and around the clock if needed.
HudsonAlpha’s first tractor, to be housed in a barn near the research field, will be utilized to plant and harvest specimens.
HudsonAlpha is grateful to collaborate with researchers around the state and has plants in field research stations operated by both Auburn University and Alabama A&M University. This new plot on campus will supplement those efforts and allow for plants to go from seed to solution right here on HudsonAlpha’s campus
The greenhouse is equipped with hundreds of LED lights that researchers use to simulate varying light conditions in their greenhouse rooms. LED lights are cooler and less hazardous, and the lights’ color settings can be manipulated to simulate the sun setting and rising.
For example, this means Dr. Clevenger can manipulate the flowering of peanut plants by simulating twenty hours of daylight, thus minimizing the time it takes to breed new peanut lines. The grow rooms are equipped with shades so that each scientist can create the conditions their plants require without interfering with their neighboring grow room.
A major problem in other greenhouses is improper airflow and hot spots caused by low ceilings, poor ventilation, and inefficient heating systems. To optimize the air conditions in the greenhouse, our scientists requested fifteen-foot ceilings and a floor heating system. Height, light, floor heating, and a high volume of moving air make the greenhouse more stable and prevents hotspots– which is very rare in greenhouses of this size.
Each of the grow rooms is equipped with its own temperature control system. This means that Dr. Swaminathan can keep her grasses happy at moderate temperatures while Dr. Harkess keeps his tropical plants happy with temperatures near 100 degrees.
One of the first steps in ensuring healthy plants in greenhouses is having an ideal environment, including clean air. The Hepa filter helps prevent undesirable bacteria, fungi, and spores from entering the greenhouse and negatively impacting the plants.
The Hepa filter is also required by the USDA for the Plant Center scientists to create and grow transgenic plants that have been modified using gene editing techniques.