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UW-Stout receives grant for fungus research

Nearly $300,000 awarded as part of President Barack Obama’s federal stimulus plan

A professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout has received grant money for medical research to be conducted on airborne fungus from the National Institute of Health as part of the federal stimulus plan.

James Burritt, professor of biology, received $186,340 this year as part of a two-year grant that will eventually total over $300,000, according to UW-Stout spokesperson Doug Mell.

He added the money will be used in research relating to the immune system. It will focus on looking into fighting an airborne fungus that commonly infects people in hospitals, particularly patients with a specific type of cancer.

“The fungus is the leading cause of death for patients with blood cancer, especially when they receive tissue and bone marrow transplants,” Mell said. “The researchers will be looking at the fungus and will try to find new ways to strengthen patients’ resistance to it.”

According to Mell, the grant money will allow undergraduate students to work directly on research with Burritt, who is the lead researcher in the study. He will be working with other researchers from different parts of the country.

It is Burritt’s first semester at UW-Stout. He previously worked at Montana State University.

“[The grant] is incredibly important for the program,” UW-Stout Biology Department Chair Charles Bomar said. “It provides opportunities for our undergraduates to do research that will be valuable for science and help prepare them for graduate work and eventually their careers.”

The grant comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which was signed by President Barack Obama in February.