Charisse M. Buising Associate Professor Biology Assistant Director Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Program

Drake University 128 Olin Hall Des Moines, IA 50311-4505 Charisse.Buising@drake.edu Voice: 515-271-2756 Fax: 515-271-3702

Charisse M. Buising, associate professor of biology at Drake University, has been named Iowa Space Grant Consortium campus coordinator for that school. Buising is also assistant director of the Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Program at Drake.

Her wide-ranging interest areas include genetic engineering/bioproduction in plants, improvements in genetic engineering, gene and natural product discovery, drugs expressed in plants, and testing drug efficacy in clinical settings.

Buising has been actively involved with the Iowa Space Grant Consortium since Drake University joined in 1996. She received cooperative grants in 1997, 1998 and 2000. For the earlier two grants, she worked with colleagues on using remote sensing technology to study prairie biodiversity and to quantify the impact of plant disease epidemics on plant biomass and productivity. Her most recent grant involved assessing trauma injury by monitoring gastrointestinal PiCO2.

"Charisse's familiarity with Space Grant and her enthusiasm for its work will be a great asset to us," said William Byrd, ISGC director. "We are pleased to have her with us."

A Ph.D. graduate of Iowa State University, Buising did postdoctoral there as well as at Pioneer Hi-Bred. She is the author of numerous papers published in refereed journals and she holds several U.S. patents.