Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 18:07:34 -0700 From: cfrazie@unm.edu (Chris Frazier) To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg195$foo@default> Subject: Nep project still alive
Wee Kiat,
I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have emailed/spoke
to you. I emailed you to thank you for sending out the Nature Malaysiana
article when I got it, but the email was returned after 10 days of not
getting through. Let's hope this one gets through.
First off, thanks again for sending the magazine to me. Your
pictures in it are great! Speaking of pictures, I just got my copy of
Clarke's book in the mail today. The picture of N. gracilis x N. mirabilis
(=N. neglecta) on page 159 looks a lot like Nrg to me. What do you think?
Overall, the book is incredibly beautiful, but there is not as much new
science in it as I thought there might be.
While progress on my project has gone a lot slower than I had hoped
(it feels like time has gone faster), the project is still alive and
kicking. I have analyzed much of my data from the first trip (including
sorting out all the prey I collected from the pitchers). Much of the data
is quite encouraging. For various reasons, the isozyme work got put off
and off until now. I am currently running the gels full time now and just
starting to get results. Its not as easy as just following a recipe,
unfortunately. Nepenthes appears to have a lot of "gunk" in it and several
enzyme systems aren't working with best guess buffer systems. It is
taking a lot of trial and error to find buffers and enzyme systems that
will work. Its a little frustrating, but I will get it to work. I know it
must be frustrating to you that it has taken me so long to get this part
going. I apologize and hope that it is some comfort that we will know soon
as to the "true" identity of Nrg.
The big news is that my family and I are coming out to Singapore for
the final push to get this project done. I have prepared a detailed
proposal for what I will be doing while I am out there which has been
approved by my committee. I am very excited about the work and I can't
wait to get out into the field again. I have limited the scope of my
project to just the three Singapore species and their hybrids, that is, I
gave up all pretenses of expanding the project to the Borneo or Northern
Peninsular Malaysian species. I still have plenty to do! We plan on
coming out the last week of February and will probably stay for about 6
months. I have a big grant propsal in to NSF, but I won't here if it gets
funded until March or later (it takes them six months to decide). We have
our fingers crossed, but even if we don't get it, we'll have to get the
project finished anyway. I am hoping that coming at the end of February
will get me there just when plants are beginning to flower. Any feelings
about this? If I understand it correctly, the weather has been pretty
wierd this year for you. I hope El Nino hasn't screwed up the Nepenthes
too much.
Anyway, I look forward to talking Nepenthes with you in person
soon. Give my best to Mr. Wong.
Sincerely,
Chris
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chris Frazier
Dept. of Biology, UNM
Albuquerque, NM, USA 87131
(505) 277-0683
Fax: (505) 277-3781
Homepage: http://redtail.unm.edu/
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