We got one! Research Allocation Committee (RAC) Grants are for supporting new research or creative works. The RAC is particularly supportive of projects that may lead to outside funding and/or larger related projects. PIs: Erik Erhardt and David Hanson Title: “Frequentist (bootstrap) and Bayesian modeling of (photo)respiration in plants” Amount: $3982.63, RAC 12-04 Use: To hire statistics graduate student, Mohammad Hattab, to implement and develop modeling that I did last summer in Switzerland. Purpose: We are requesting $3982.63 to develop statistical models to estimate (photo)respiration in plants, accounting for sources of uncertainty and prior information. Because current models provide estimates without meaningful assessments of uncertainty, our model will have broad application in understanding photosynthetic pathways and carbon usage in plants, clarifying the precision of our knowledge, conditional on what is already believed. This modeling is an important step towards developing more comprehensive models of photosynthetic parameters. Support from the Resource Allocation Committee will allow us to: (1) develop frequentist (bootstrap) and Bayesian models to analyze existing experimental data, providing inferences on the set of parameters related in the model; (2) design experiments and acquire additional data to distinguish and estimate respiration and photorespiration under a set of scientifically relevant conditions; (3) conduct validations using pre-existing data and estimates; (4) publish our model with results; and (5) develop grant proposals to apply this model more broadly.