The ASPB Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) program funds promising undergraduate students so they can conduct research in plant biology during the early part of their college careers over the course of 10 consecutive weeks. This year’s SURF recipients will present their research at Plant Biology 2018. Congratulations to these 2017 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows and their mentors:
SURFers from Doctoral Granting Institutions
Samantha Connolly, University of Vermont
Project: Determining the Function of NPF1A in Lotus japonicus
Mentor: Dr. Jeanne M. Harris
Cameron Criswell, Texas A&M University
Project: Understanding Plant Cell Death With “bak to life” Screens
Mentor: Dr. Ping He
Max Hagelthorn, UC Davis
Project: Functional Characterization of Stress-Inducible Diterpene Synthases in Switchgrass
Mentor: Dr. Philipp Zerbe
Christopher Imler, University of Florida
Project: Genetic and biochemical evidence for direct rhizosphere acidification in Vaccinium corymbosum
Mentor: Dr. Gerardo Nunez
Victoria Morris, University of California, Riverside
Project: Microtubule Dynamics in Cell Division using Maize Tangled1
Mentor: Dr. Carolyn Rasmussen
McKenzie Pickle, University of California, Riverside
Project: Role of Microtubule Dynamics in Cell Division using Maize tangled-1 Mutant
Mentor: Dr. Carolyn Rasmussen
Angus Rae, University of Newcastle, Australia
Project: Measuring Cell Wall Anisotropy in Arabidopsis Roots Using Polarised Fluorescence
Mentor: Dr. David Collings
Alex Riley, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Project: System Genetics of Rhizobium Mutualists of Varying Partner Quality
Mentor: Dr. Amy Marshall-Colon
Elizabeth Winnicki, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Project: Analyzing the Genetic Diversity of the Varieties of Sweet Potato Found in Hawaii & North America
Mentor: Dr. Michael Kantar
Robert Yvon, University of Massachusetts
Project: Discovering the Connections of the FERONIA Receptor Kinase and its Functional Partners in Arabidopsis
Mentor: Dr. Alice Cheung
SURFers from Primarily Undergraduate Institutions
Patricia Goytortua, Instituto Politécnico Nacional
Project: Effect of having a PT or Pising allele associated with lipid metabolism of maize plants grown in Mexican Highland conditions
Mentor: Dr. Rubén Rellán-Álvarez
Kenneth Kim, University of West Georgia
Project: Molecular characterization of two high light sensitive Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutants, defective in a novel functionally uncharacterized gene
Mentor: Dr. Mautusi Mitra
Tayler Lewis, Radford University
Project: Computational Modeling of the AS1/AS2 Complex
Mentor: Dr. Tara Phelps-Durr
Lauren Pope, James Madison University
Project: Structural and Physiological Characterization of Arabidopsis thaliana β-Amylase 2: a Unique Starch-degrading Enzyme
Mentor: Dr. Jonathan Monroe
Jennifer Walz, University of St. Thomas
Project: Determining the role of xanthophyll cycle dynamics and thermal energy dissipation in the desiccation tolerance of common bryophytes in Minnesota
Mentor: Dr. Amy Verhoeven
Amazing, these students are at the top of their level and I wish them the best in their endeavors as they pursue their goals. Plant biology is a huge and growing field, maybe these kids will make one the biggest discoveries yet. They all look like star students and once again I wish them the best. 🙂
I had no idea this was a fellowship that extended worldwide. I am so proud of not only my daughter Lauren Pope but each and every student who received this prestigous award. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL.