REU Site: Next generation plant biology and plant-microbe interactions

This NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site to the University of California, Riverside, located in Riverside, CA, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2025-2027. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program and contribute to development of the US STEM workforce.

The program is designed to provide opportunities to students interested in the cellular and molecular biology of plants through next generation technologies. The scientific focus addresses an urgent national need for training in both translational and foundational plant biology and associated environmental influences, including pathogens and other microbes.

Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. The effectiveness of the REU site will be assessed using student feedback and tracking the career path and publication record of program participants. Students should apply to the REU site using NSF ETAP (Education and Training Application: https://etap.nsf.gov).

This ten-week summer research program is focused on understanding plants and plant pathogens. Students from all colleges are welcome to apply. These will include students from two- and four-year colleges with limited research infrastructure and no prior research experience.

A goal of the program is to engage all participants in exciting research and inform them about career options within plant biology and related fields. The program is hosted by the UC Riverside Center for Plant Cell Biology which, in association with the Institute for Integrative Genome Biology and other college departments, includes many faculty who study plants, plant pathogens (fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes), other microbes, and allied fields.

Applicants are selected by a holistic review conducted by a faculty-led committee. The program begins with a one-week series of workshops, in which students are introduced to bioethics, experimental design, techniques and approaches used to study plants and plant pathogens, including genetics, molecular biology, genomic and bioinformatic analyses, and confocal microscopy.

In the first week, faculty mentors present their research so that students can select a host lab based on the scientific focus. During the remaining nine weeks, students conduct laboratory research and participate in workshops to enhance learning skills and professional development.

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.