Pitt received $2 million in research grants on Thursday to study wild strawberries and the…

Courtesy Pitt Media Relations

Tia-Lynn Ashman, principal investigator of the study and professor and associate chair of Pitt’s Department of Biological Sciences

Pitt received $2 million in research grants on Thursday to study wild strawberries and the impact they have on biodiversity.

According to the University, Tia-Lynn Ashman, the principal investigator on the study into the effect genetic diversity plays in how plants respond to environmental change, received the grant from the National Science Foundation.

The team is using strawberries because it has 20 unique species and are susceptible to climate change. By altering the climate the strawberries are grown in, the researchers hope to identify the factors that influence traits and genetic expression of the strawberries under those conditions.

The researchers will partner with biologists at Oregon State University, and will also bring their findings into high school and middle school classrooms.

Pick up The Pitt News tomorrow for a longer story.