A team of scientists at Oregon State University has secured a $2 million, four-year grant from the National Science Foundation to study the potential for diatoms to produce biofuel and other products. Diatoms have the ability to produce lipids for biofuels, as well as semiconductor materials and chitin fibers for industrial uses, said Greg Rorrer, who leads the university's School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering. "We believe that we can produce all of these products in one facility at the same time and move easily from one product to the other," Rorrer said.