C-RUI: An Undergraduate Research Training Program Focused on Plant Responses to Copper in the Environment

The University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg TX

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this multidisciplinary collaborative project is to explore the mechanisms involved in plant responses to copper, an important environmental pollutant in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. While species-specific tolerance and accumulation of zinc and nickel are relatively common, copper tolerance in plants is rare. Biochemical, molecular genetic, and biophysical tools will be used to characterize and localize tolerance mechanisms in plant tissues. It is hoped that these studies will lead to strategies for the use of plants to remediate copper pollution, the development of more copper-resistant agricultural varieties, and the identification of sea grasses that can be used as indicator species for copper pollution in marine and estuarine environments. Technical expertise for the project will be provided by established researchers in studies of plant metal tolerance from the School of Agriculture at Purdue University and the Departments of Chemistry and Biology at University of Texas - Pan American. A key component of the project is an effort to provide guided research experiences for minority undergraduate students at the University of Texas Pan-American. Students will engage in laboratory research, regular research seminars and research presentations. Students from the program will be selected for summer internships at Purdue University where they will work directly with leading researchers and utilize the most advanced instrumentation available. Students and faculty will present research posters at annual meetings of professional societies. All of these efforts are intended to encourage participating students to have "real world" scientific experiences and pursue advanced degrees in the life sciences