REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Plant Cell Biology

University Of California-Riverside, Riverside CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Center for Plant Cell Biology (CEPCEB) in association with the Genomics Institute at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) is committed to provide fulfilling research experiences to undergraduates. As a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site, CEPCEB will bring research experiences to students of two- and four-year colleges who have limited opportunity to learn about the excitement and career options that research in plant cell biology offers. Outreach efforts will be centered on a number of colleges in Southern California with high enrollment of underrepresented groups. Qualified students will be encouraged to apply for the 10-week residential summer research program; eight students will be accepted each summer. Each student will have a faculty and a graduate or postgraduate mentor. In the initial week of the program, students will be introduced to the basics of plant cell biology as well as developing areas in plant cell biology in which UCR has expertise, including genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics, through a series of lecture/laboratory exercises. Students will then spend nine weeks on a research project of their choice. To further enrich the students and to guide them toward graduate studies, students will participate in workshops to enhance learning skills and professional development, and to discuss ethics in science. In addition to the ten-week research experience, a three-week summer laboratory course called Arabidopsis Biology will be offered. During this course, students will use Arabidopsis to study basic concepts in plant biology. Students who complete this course will be given priority for admission to the 10-week research experience the following summer, although the course is not a prerequisite. Students requesting information about the program should contact the Genomics Institute at (909) 787-2601 (genomics@ucr.edu) or Dr. Elizabeth Bray at (909) 787-4548 (bray@citrus.ucr. edu). The anticipated impacts of the NSF-sponsored REU are numerous. These include an increased awareness of research options in the broad area of plant cell biology and expanded research opportunities for students at "Hispanic Serving Institutes" and "Minority Post Secondary Institutes" in Southern California. The underlying goals of this educational outreach program are to encourage completion of four-year degrees by underrepresented students and to present research plant biology as a career option to young biologists