REU Site: Using Microscopy to understand Form and Function Across Biological Scales (MicroFFABS)

This REU Site award to Syracuse University, located in Syracuse, NY, will support training 10 students for 10 weeks each during the summers of 2025-2027. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or who are from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields, will participate. This program will focus on recruiting domestic students from minority-serving institutions, primarily undergraduate institutions, and community colleges.

Students will learn how laboratory research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Assessment of this program will be done through an online tool. Students should apply to the REU site using NSF ETAP (Education and Training Application: https://etap.nsf.gov).

Research within this REU program will focus on using Microscopy to understand Form and Function Across Biological Scales (MicroFFABS). Each student project will incorporate microscopy into innovative biological research. All REU participants will gain exposure to microscopy methods (e.g., fluorescence, super-resolution, etc.) using state-of-the-art instrumentation with applications to questions that cross multiple scales of biological research.

Potential projects with mentors in the Biology and Physics departments include investigating molecular and cellular mechanisms underpinning neurodevelopment; identifying the connections between form, function, and environment in animals that interface with and attach to surfaces; examining mechanisms driving plant responses to climate change; elucidating mechanisms of protein quality control to understand the assembly and disassembly of biomolecular condensates; and understanding how cells self-organize and develop. Students will participate in a broad range of professional development workshops including the responsible and ethical conduct of research, as well as training in advanced microscopy techniques and post-processing practices and interpretation.

Students will be expected to present their work in a campus-wide poster session at the conclusion of their research experience. Online applications are evaluated and program directors of the REU program make a final ranking of the finalists. Offers will be extended via email to the top-ranked candidates until the 10 positions are filled.

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.