REU Site: Interdisciplinary Research for Undergraduates in the Plant Sciences: Genomes,Phenomes and Landscapes

This REU Site award to South Dakota State University, located in Brookings, SD, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2020-2022. It is anticipated that 30 students over 3-years will be trained, with most students coming from schools with limited research opportunities (e.g. community colleges, smaller baccalaureate colleges) and/or from under-represented groups (African Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Latinos).

In order to address the agricultural challenges of the 21st century, it is crucial to train the next generation of scientists in the plant sciences with the required interdisciplinary skills to address these challenges. The students will work on research projects with experienced faculty mentors from the Biology and Microbiology Department, the Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Department, and the Natural Resource Management Department, and will be integrated into a multidisciplinary research environment.

The students will engage in a wide range of research topics ranging from crop breeding, functional plant genomics and phenomics, next generation sequencing and bioinformatics, plant biotic interactions (beneficial and pathogenic), soil science, and plant ecology. A `genomics jamboree´ will train students in next generation sequencing, genome assembly, gene annotation, and bioinformatics, and will allow the students to work actively in teams.

In addition to pursuing their independent research projects, the students will participate in a boot camp that will provide them with the essential background to develop and design the experiments for their internship project, and in workshops and discussions about the ethical conduct of research, successful graduate program applications, and entrepreneurial and industry career opportunities after graduation. To apply for the program, the students must submit: a completed application form, academic transcripts, a cover letter with research interests and long-term career goals, and two letters of recommendation.

Assessment of the program will be done through the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. More information about the program is available by visiting https://www.sdstate.edu/reu-plants, or by contacting the PI (Dr.

Heike Bücking at [email protected]) or the co-PI (Dr. Jose Gonzalez Hernandez at [email protected]).

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.