The bare walls in Kelly Craven's office tell a story of a busy man - a busy, funny man.

After a month and a half as The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation's newest Principal Investigator, Craven's office walls are still a desert of beige paint, save an oasis of taped-up photographs.

Stuck above his computer are a smattering of pictures of Jackson, Craven's 11-month-old son, with wife Erin, and a picture of Craven and his former lab mates posing as the Rolling Stones.

"That's Jackson, my son," said Craven, Ph.D., smiling and pointing at little Jack before moving on to the explanation of the Rolling Stones' picture.

"That's, well, that was taken a few Halloweens ago," said Craven chuckling. "We really make a good looking group, don't we?"

It's with this lighthearted enthusiasm that Craven approaches the serious research he's undertaking at the Noble Foundation.

The 36-year-old Arizona native is the newest Assistant Professor in the Plant Biology Division. He will lead a team of three researchers and study fungal endophytes of grasses, which live inside the plants and often have a mutually-beneficial relationship with their hosts.

Craven's team will work on two primary projects. Since many of the most beneficial endophytes are naturally-occurring genetic hybrids, Craven's team will attempt to develop artificial hybrids, which will allow scientists to tailor endophytes with host-specific qualities.

"If we like the pest resistance imparted by one endophyte and the drought resistance of another, we can fuse them together and make a hybrid that will serve the plant better," Craven said. "This has tremendous potential for improving new forage and turf cultivars."

Craven will also research the development of warm-season grass endophytes. Since most well-studied fungal endophytes are specific for cool-season grasses, a warm-season variety could enhance crops grown in the spring and summer, particularly biomass feedstocks, such as switchgrass.

"This could potentially increase switchgrass yield, which would result in more biomass per acre for subsequent ethanol production," Craven said. "Endophytes could play an important role in the development of the biofuel industry in Oklahoma."

Craven received a bachelor of science in zoology from Arizona State University and then studied at the University of Kentucky, where he earned a master of science and a doctorate degree in plant pathology. Craven came to the Noble Foundation after he served as a postdoctoral fellow in the Fungal Genomics Lab at North Carolina State University.

"The scientific environment and resources at the Noble Foundation are amazing," Craven said. "The Noble Foundation has long been involved in using endophytes in drought and insect protection, which was important for my particular field of study. Moreover, the Noble Foundation has a philanthropic philosophy and an ecological presence. It's a unique blend of character and philosophy. I don't know if you would find this giving, conscientious atmosphere anywhere else."

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Photo:

Kelly Craven

News Release Issued: October 23, 2006

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. (www.noble.org), headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a nonprofit organization conducting agricultural, forage improvement and plant biology research; assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs; and providing grants to nonprofit charitable, educational and health organizations.