David Somers, professor of molecular genetics in the College of Arts and Sciences is the recipient of a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Grant by the U.S. Department of State.

Somers was affiliated with the Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics in Barcelona, Spain, where he researched the plant circadian clock, a mechanism by which oscillations with a period of approximately 24 hours can persist in an organism under conditions of constant temperature and light or dark. These oscillations can occur in an extremely wide range of processes from daily rhythms in body temperature in mammals to an up‐and‐down movement of plant leaves.

For example, the familiar discomfort of jet‐lag, suffered by long distance travelers, is the result of an internal clock out‐of‐sync with the new time zone (set by dawn and dusk) after arrival. The clock that systemically controls all these oscillations are critical to normal function of the organism, and circadian disruption has even been linked to cancer. In plants, the decision on when to flower during the year is tightly tied to a properly functioning clock, through the sensing of seasonal changes in day length.

Somers research, Long Distance Signaling within the Plant Circadian System as Probed through Micrografting, explored the technique of micrografting to unresolved questions of long distance communication and signaling among the circadian clocks throughout the plant. Somers said his research was successful, accomplished a number of grafts between dissimilar genetic backgrounds and collected preliminary data that set the stage for continuing his work at Ohio State.

For more information about Fulbright, contact Joanna Kukiekla-Blaser.