PLANTS IN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS ARE CONTINUOUSLY INTERACTING WITH OTHER ORGANISMS. PESTS AND PATHOGENS ARE A CONSTANT THREAT THAT CANNOT BE FULLY ADDRESSED WITH CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES. CONVERSELY, SYMBIONTS AND POLLINATORS, WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL FOR MAINTAINING HIGH YIELDS, ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD AND DECLINING. TO CONTINUE IMPROVING CROP PLANT PRODUCTIVITY IN THE UNITED STATES, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO TRAIN FUTURE SCIENTISTS TO INVESTIGATE BOTH BENEFICIAL AND DELETERIOUS PLANT BIOTIC INTERACTIONS.A THREE-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM WILL BE IMPLEMENTED AT THE BOYCE THOMPSON INSTITUTE, CORNELL UNIVERSITY, AND THE USDA-ARS HOLLEY CENTER. EACH SUMMER, NINE UNDERGRADUATES FROM THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES WILL CONDUCT RESEARCH ON PLANT BIOTIC INTERACTIONS FOR TEN WEEKS IN THE LABORATORIES OF TWELVE FACULTY MENTORS. EARLY-CAREER UNDERGRADUATES WILL BE CHOSEN BASED ON CULTURAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY, AS WELL AS ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE. IN ADDITION TO HANDS-ON BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH, STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE TRAINING IN PROJECT PLANNING, SCIENTIFIC ETHICS, RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS, AND WRITING GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATIONS.STUDENT RESEARCH WILL FOCUS ON THE INTERACTIONS OF CROP PLANTS WITH OTHER ORGANISMS, BOTH BENEFICIAL AND DELETERIOUS, WITH A PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON CROP IMPROVEMENT AND INVESTIGATION OF MECHANISMS THAT MEDIATE THESE INTERACTIONS. INTERNS WILL SELECT SUMMER RESEARCH GROUPS BASED ON THEIR SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS, AND WILL CONDUCT FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED RESEARCH PROJECTS THAT RANGE FROM LABORATORY ANALYSIS OF PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN PLANT GENES AND METABOLITES TO PLANT BREEDING AND STUDIES OF PLANT-INSECT AND PLANT-PATHOGEN INTERACTIONS ON COMMERCIAL FARMS.