DOE awards $13M for pennycress resiliency study

In Illinois, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a $13 million grant to a nationwide project led by Illinois State University aimed at genetically strengthening Thlaspi arvense, commonly known as the weed pennycress and a relative of canola for use in sustainable energy efforts. The grant from the DOE will allow researchers to improve the resilience of pennycress as a crop.

Other institutions taking part in the project include the Carnegie Institution for Science, the University of Minnesota, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the DOE Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the DOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory EMSL, Western Illinois University, Washington State University, and The Ohio State University.