Their research, climate change, access to Research Labs and private and Public Partnerships and research. The committee, email address is circulated prior to the hearing. Good afternoon and welcome to todays hearing. Will hear about how these capabilities have been leveraged in response to the covid19 pandemic. I want to thank the Ranking Members, members of the subcommittee and witnesses for joining us today. Members of the subcommittee are enthusiastic about the Energy Innovations coming out of the nation. Given the labs providing our country, the materials pioneering power lines, and discovering 22 elements, the periodic table would be much smaller. As a covid19 pandemic begins to unfold in the u. S. , its apparent the does operatory programs are well positioned as we respond to the virus. Its perhaps not well known research is not in a lab. In fact, scientists developed neutralize chemicals and biological agents. This was used to cleanup the Office Buildings and anthrax in 2001. Scientists are credit for developing nuclear medicine, producing radio isotopes to diagnose and treat disease. Imaging technology to detect Cancer Development software to spare healthy tissue. Moms house and operate facilities, established by the department in 1997, part of the human genome project. Today researchers survey and characterize organisms in the science machine. They provided genes related to green energy generation, environmental characterizations. Leverage these capabilities have enabled researchers to develop counter against the coronavirus and allow them to have this whole department to possess his capabilities to address the nation great challenges and can stimulate innovation. Dealing with biological research and leveraged responsibility 19 pandemic and what future direction for the department biological System Research and provide solutions for our nations most pressing issues. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses, sharing expertise on the topic and how the Science Committee and the biological Research Activity to unleash this. Before i recognize the making member, id like to take a moment to acknowledge we are holding is hearing on the 19th anniversary of the september 11 attacks. I asked for a moment of silence to to remember and honor those who lost their lives and will forever alter first responders, the brave men and women who rushed in on this day to help our fellow americans. [silence] thank you. Ill now recognize for an opening statement. [silence] as soon as he gets control of his mike, he speaks. The challenges of technology. Thank you for hosting this hearing and thank you for all our witnesses for being here this afternoon. The uncertainties of this pandemic, those who stood up, our scientific has gone above and beyond to understand, treat covid19. The department of energy and science this effort. Today, we have the chance to narrow our focus to the Research Efforts and biological Environmental Research program. Ber is a High Priority Research area within the office of science, consistently receiving bipartisan short work of the committee. Examining conflicts to developing genetic information. The portfolio helps address todays Public Health challenges in preparing us for the next generation of bioscience. Much of the work is carried out through user facilities including joint Genomic Institute for sequencing plants and microbes originally created to leave does role in the project, jgi sequencing and analysis analyzing more than 200,000 billion pieces of dna each year. That is a huge number. Another key user facility, Environmental Sciences offers over 50 instruments and resources to assist researchers in understanding complex interactions. Theres access to High PerformanceComputing Resources to support advanced excrement the research biosciences her work makes great use from the resources. An associate professor at the university. President ial early premier award for science and engineers. I look forward to hearing more from her user access to the resources they maintain and operate by the office of science and scientific important drivers of National Economic competitors. No other system in the world grants this kind of Cutting Edge Technology access for the research each year. They developing the most advanced scientific facilities and its become intense international competition. This will hold distinctive advantage in nearly every field science for this modeling. Science programs for his support in the user facilities simply cannot afford. This is why the key component of my bill, hr 5685, security American Leadership in technology and science is a competitive authorization, of the program that includes Facility Development program and authorization of initiatives like the Research Centers. Its funding for the entire office of science over the next ten years. The significant investment is essential to u. S. Leadership in biological Environmental Research. Amidst covid19 for the next Public Health challenge understanding of these complex systems is dependent upon the basic Research Conducted by the science. I want colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come with me and focus on these bipartisan programs i want to thank our witnesses for being here today and look forward to the discussion and thank you chairwoman. I yield back the balance of my time. Thank you very much, mr. Lucas. I now recognize the chairwoman of the committee for an opening statement. Thank you very much for holding this hearing today and thank you all for being with us. Today we need to discuss the research on this program. These capabilities are now being used to better understand covid19. Many of these facilities related to these sciences, they range from the well for two decades in the making, to Large Services that can be used for characteristics and treatment to the virus. The department stateoftheart computing capabilities provides our nation with scientific nation, is second to none. This is biological Research Portfolio and its been leveraged as part of wider initiative. A natural ballot and laboratory created for the Global Health crisis as well as those we can expect in the future. All the activities of the biological Environment Research program to better prepare us to respond future pandemics Energy Security and for everything with the climate crisis. Research in this program will help us develop in the future, it will be very unfortunate if we work on the transportation sector and other parts of the economy. Today however, i spoke this and following the witness testimony, i think you again to witnesses for being here. I yield back the balance of my time. Thank you chairwoman. There members who wish to add statements to be added to the record . At this time, id like to introduce our witnesses doctor mary is the associate Laboratory Director running for the National Laboratory where she oversees labs biological systems engineering, molecular biological division and doe institute. She worked in the biotechnology industry as well as the Public Sector for biological research and technology policy. She villa valves this. Doctor deborah is professor of biochemistry and biology at the Research Center at the university of georgia. She studies photosynthesis and more than 30 years and currently serves for the integrative analysis and understanding with the department of energy innovation. A professor of microbiology and check committee at the university of chicago. For the past 15 years, overseen studies for emerging irna viruses. This year, she was appointed director of emerging section resource at the regional file continuum laboratory. Last but certainly not least, doctor kelly of sciences and michael bioscience and Colorado State university in her research focuses on the chemical reactions for micro organisms. Assistant professor of microbiology at the ohio state thank you to all witnesses for joining us today you should know who each have five minutes for your testimony. Your written testimony is already been related and will be included in the record for the hearing. We will begin with questions when you complete. Each member has five minutes to question the panel. We begin with witness testimony. Ranking member lucas, members of the committee, thank you for including me in this important hearing. I testimony reflects my views only and not those of the department of energy. We have history of biological research is fascinating from pioneering medicine and understanding the impact on humans. Biology draws Energy Solutions and create new Economic Resources for the economy. The office for Environmental Research program is today one of the world eating supporters of nonhuman bio research, analogy of plants. Transformative energy and environmental Discovery Solutions and along with the broader office of science and doe capabilities, you can respond aggressively to National Crises for the coronavirus pandemic. The founder of 1931 invented a particle accelerator is the original of todays Light Sources and particle around the world. Understanding the potential beyond physics, the younger brother, john, harvested bio research, its changed modern medicine forever and laid the foundation for the bioscience of capabilities. 1937, john used it to successfully treat a bone marrow disorder and used energized neutrons to retreat leukemia. Nuclear medicine was born then. Its not limited to human health used a radio isotope to trace how some might drive photosynthesis winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961. Because of the deep expertise in research and the Department Role in the initiative, the nation turned the doe and later nih to sequence the human genome. As part of the human genome process to focus on a collaboration among three National Labs to create the Genome Institute, the contributed 13 of the total human genome project and the largest facility in the world dedicated to genome energy and environmental solutions. Ten years ago 1 gallon of iso pinto produced in a lab cost 300,000 but today its three dollars a gallon. [inaudible] that is with diverse teams working together under the National Biotechnology lab established by chris paul and directed by deputy director. Brought together all of the National Labs to advance investigations into new targets and therapeutics, epidemiological and Logistical Support and to address supply chain bottlenecks. The National Labs are now leveraging the user and collaboration facilities to understand the ancient coronavirus is stored in a fight possible covid19 treatments quickly, develop Bio Manufacturing costs for new therapeutics and investigate new materials and reagents for viral detection. Does bio capability promised to give rise to future new tools to reproduce studies biological systems and controllable, fully Lab Ecosystem environments. Something not possible today anywhere in the world. These new fabricated ecosystems are a vision to help understand micro biomes and how they control carbon cycling and could be used to detect identify and mitigate new pathogens in foil systems. In summary, the bio Research Enterprise has a significant history and urgent vital future to delivering Scientific Solutions to drive the u. S. Bio economy. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, doctor doctor, would you like to start next . Certainly. Good afternoon chairman, Ranking Member lucas and members of the subcommittee. It is my pleasure to respond to the three questions about the biological and Environmental Research program with the office of science. First, the program has biological research and Development Activity and capabilities and that is a good question, one might ask what does energy have to do with biology and the short answer would be a lot. First lets consider the history. It was established in 1977 through consolidation with more than 30 Energy Related efforts in government agencies. Some of which already did bioscience. Even at the time of the establishment it was involved in bioscience. The origin of the biological research is in the u. S. Energy efforts began during and after world war ii with the Manhattan Project and the postwar Atomic Energy commission and the development of an Advisory Committee to study radiation on humans. This expanded to study on the effects of radioactive fallout on the atmosphere, terrestrial and marine organisms. From the origin of doe in the latest of der they supported a combination of physical, chemical and biological research. This is carried out by both doe and academic scientists and facilities. The goal was to meet the u. S. Energy needs. Importantly due to a mandate there was a formal division between the basic and applied research and the office of Energy Research later named after science was given the task to oversee the basic Research Programs. Since ber is a part of the office of science it supports and fosters critical basic science to meet current and future energy needs. In keeping with the historic roots the current stated goal of the ber program is an ankle, to support Scientific Research and facilities to achieve a predictive understanding of complex biological earth and Environmental Systems through advancing the Nations Energy and infrastructure. Its relevant to todays hearing that the knowledge, tools, intellectual workforce and facilities that ber has supported and developed over the last 30 years to meet the u. S. Energy needs have provided cuttingedge scientific instrumentation, facilities and expertise that ten can immediately be applied to National Emergencies such as the development of covid19 pandemic. As mentioned already because of those people with dni are sequencing with the human genome and having a full sequenced genome of over 12000 bacterial species and 3000 viral n95 plant species and its an enormous, schmidt. Importantly we have supported the involvement of a systems biology approach and use of supercomputers and Artificial Intelligence to help understand and model complex organisms. Secondly, they funded expertise and advanced Research Tools to respond to the covid19 pandemic and a world leading capabilities i just mentioned including the World Fastest computer have enabled the funded researchers to rapidly direct their attention to the national and global covid19 threats. The doe capability brought to bear includes, i will mention to hear, structural biology resources which have led, among others, to a new understanding of the threedimensional structures and will actual actions of protein components in the sars tube irish which has understandably been used. Another example is the work by Doe National Lab systems which includes his supercomputers and system biology to analyze the genome, transcript on the rna, and evolutionary data from human lung samples of ill people and people controlled samples as well as taking advantage of the data across the world. The team has recently published and continue to work based on these holistic analyses a new proposed mechanism for covid19 infection as well as multiple therapy using existing fda drugs discovered through the system biology approach. Finally, the future directions of the department. The importance of understanding and utilizing complex biological systems to meet Current Energy needs particularly evident when one considers that each year more than 100 billion times of Carbon Dioxide are fixed into biomass in this file map is essential, essential largescale renewable resource for energy, chemical and biomaterial reduction. When one considers that fossil fuels which represent 80 of our Current Energy needs are simply ages bio maps converted at t