BSPM Undergraduate Research Fellowship – APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN! Due April 11th!
How to Apply (Step 1)
To apply for this fellowship, the first thing you have to do is to identify a professor in the BSPM department with whom you would like to conduct scientific research in the Fall of 2019 and Spring of 2020. Browse the professor and project description tabs below to choose your preferred research project.
Participate in ecological research of plants in one of several ways: (1) measure traits of plants above and belowground and summarize and analyze the data to help us understand how their characteristics influence their success in different environments; (2) analyze data from an extensive study of roadside restoration projects in 10 western US National Parks; (3) Conduct an experiment to evaluate the germination and growth characteristics of the invasive annual grass Bromus tectorum collected from different parts of the US Rocky Mountains.
The Hufbauer lab studies the evolutionary ecology of small populations at risk of extinction, biological invasions, biological control and plant-insect interactions. The student will develop a side project linked to one of the ongoing projects in the lab, with possibilities including studying adaptation of biocontrol insects and invasive insects to cold and hot climates, and using a model insect system to study how to rescue of small populations from extinction.
The Stewart lab studies population genetics, biology, and management of plant pathogenic fungi. The student will use already sequenced genomes of Cytospora leucostoma to identify and describe the mating type genes. Also, this student will develop primers to amplify these genes to determine if populations in Colorado peach orchards are mating are asexually or sexually.
The Nachappa lab studies ecological and molecular mechanisms of plant-virus-insect vector interactions in plants such as wheat, soybean, tomatoes, and sugar beets. The student will perform insect bioassays and molecular biology experiments to understand these interactions.
The Trivedi Lab explores multitrophic interactions among and between microbiome and the plant environment that influence the health and productivity of managed and natural systems. Ultimately, our goal is to enhance plant resistance by identifying conditions that favor protective microbes. The student will use microbiology and molecular biology techniques to capture and culture beneficial microbes and study their role in microbial community assembly through synthetic microbial communities.
Submit Application by April 11th 2019 (Step 2)
Once you identify a professor and project that you enjoy, send in your application, indicating that professor as a potential mentor.
The application form can be found below. Please note that financial support for the BSPM Undergraduate Research Fellowship will be awarded on a competitive basis, so please make sure your application is complete
Questions?
Please email Dr. Cris Argueso for with any application questions!
*Make sure to title subject as BSPM Undergraduate Research Fellowship*
Application Due Date
Send to Janet Dill by April 11th 2019
Applicant Notification
May 1st 2019
2018-2019 BSPM Undergraduate Fellows
Jennifer Shipp
Working in the Leach Lab
Soil and Crop Sciences
Jennifer is working on Bacteria associated with Russian Wheat Aphid and how they help the aphid to feed and be more virulent. Specifically, she is looking at what bacteria are associated with aphid feeding.
Sophie Soward
Working in the Argueso Lab
Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
Sophie’s research project is on understanding how plant hormones mediate tradeoffs in plant susceptibility to biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens.
Miranda Flora
Working in the Brown Lab
Natural Resources Management
Miranda is studying the differences in genetic diversity between cultivars and natural accessions of Elymus trachycaulus, and how the genetic diversity of this species varies between the population-level and the species-level.