ASPB Awards 15 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) for 2010

SURF fellowships assist promising undergraduate students so they can conduct meaningful research in plant biology early in their college careers. Ideally, students should pursue their SURF-funded research the summer following their second year. Exceptionally well-prepared first-year students and third-year students who provide evidence of a strong commitment to plant biology also are considered. SURF students must work with a mentor who is an ASPB member. An important aspect of SURF is that it recognizes that institutions have varying resources for sustaining different types of research. Therefore, SURF prorates the applications and awards fellowships on the basis of the proportion of applications received from larger and smaller institutions.

The ASPB SURF Committee would like to thank all the students and mentors who applied to the 2010 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship program. The applications were outstanding, making it difficult to choose only 15 fellowship awardees. These awardees will present their SURF research results at the undergraduate and general poster sessions during Plant Biology 2011, August 6–10 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Congratulations to the following 2010 SURF recipients and honorable mentions.

Iris Chen, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill
Project: Determining the subcellular localization of the Arabidopsis AGD6 ARF-GAP
Mentor: Sarah Liljegren

I am honored and thrilled to receive a SURF award from ASPB to assist me in characterizing the AGD6 ADP-ribosylation factor GTPase-activating protein (ARF-GAP). My project this summer involves developing markers that will allow us to track the subcellular localization of AGD6. We have found that AGD6 and another ARF-GAP, NEVERSHED (NEV), play redundant roles during plant growth and development. As part of my honors research next year, I will be able to use these markers to compare the localization patterns of AGD6 and NEV to see whether they may function in the same membrane trafficking pathways. The skills I will be learning from carrying out this summer research project will aid me in my pursuit of a PhD starting in 2011.

Christopher Gee, University of Washington
Project: Timing is everything: Evaluating changes in brassinosteroids activity during early seedling development and photomorphogenesis
Mentor: Jennifer Nemhauser

I thank the ASPB for selecting me to receive a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, and I also express my gratitude to my mentor, Dr. Jennifer Nemhauser, and the other members of the lab for all their help and guidance. The fellowship gives me a unique opportunity to immerse myself in plant biology research for the summer. This experience will undoubtedly provide me with excellent training, as well as help me decide the future direction of my scientific career.

Chen Gu, Macalester College
Project: Structural and functional analysis of the SAUR19 protein in Arabidopsis thaliana
Mentor: William Gray

I really enjoyed the process of generating my own idea of an experiment, optimizing it through the discussion with my mentors, and putting together a proposal that is comprehensible! I sincerely thank ASPB for granting me this unique opportunity of proposal writing at the undergraduate level.

Kayley Hake, Meredith College
Project: Chromosome walking to identify the Wab mutation
Mentor: Sarah Hake

I am deeply honored and thrilled to receive this fellowship and be recognized by ASPB. I am looking forward to continuing my research to identify the gene that causes the Wab mutation in maize and sharing my results at the 2011 ASPB annual meeting. I would like to thank ASPB; my mentor, Dr. Hake; and Dr. Aghoram from Meredith College for making this opportunity possible.

Theresa How-Yew-Kin, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 
Project: Functions of conserved oomycete proteins
Mentor: John M. McDowell

I am extremely excited and grateful to be a SURF recipient. I look forward to this opportunity to continue my current research project through the summer, as well as attend the ASPB annual meeting in 2011 in Minneapolis. I would like to give a most heartfelt thank you to Dr. McDowell and Dr. Bevan for their continued guidance and support.

Sandra Kerbler, University of Western Australia
Project: Understanding the inhibition of Phytophthora cinnamomi pathogenicity by phosphite: Does phosphite interfere with the ubiquitination of root proteins involved in phosphate signaling?
Mentor: Patrick Finnegan

I am truly honored and very grateful to be a SURF recipient in 2010. My project aims to understand how phosphite (a key fungicide in controlling the plant pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi) interacts with protein ubiquitination in plant roots. This project will hopefully give us an insight into how phosphite prevents P. cinnamomi infection and may lead on to applications that minimize the devastating impact the pathogen is having upon native Australian flora. I am definitely looking forward to getting stuck in my research project later this year! A very big thank you to ASPB for promoting international excellence in plant biology and to my mentor, Patrick Finnegan, for his continual support and encouragement.

Albert Kertho, University of St. Thomas
Project: An examination of irradiance-dependent regulation of light harvesting phosphorylation in gymnosperms and angiosperms growing in both field and manipulated light conditions
Mentor: Amy Verhoeven

This fellowship is a stepping-stone to achieving my career in plant pathology. I have always wanted to know what goes on in plant biology labs. This SURF grant has given me the opportunity to get involved in a field I love so much. I can’t express my excitement with mere words. This is one of the best moments of my life.

Norris Lam, University of Nevada–Las Vegas
Project: Genetically modifying Arabidopsis thaliana with LtNAC3 gene of drought-tolerant Xerophyte Larrea tridentata (Creosote Bush)
Mentor: Jeffery Q. Shen

It is an absolute honor to have received a fellowship from ASPB. Not only will it be a privilege to have the opportunity to design my own experiment, but this fellowship will allow me to make connections with people who share the same desire in studying plants. With ASPB’s support, I will take genes from creosote bush to design drought-tolerant Arabidopsis. With success, I hope to change global agriculture by engineering plants that require significantly less water to grow sufficiently.

Amanda Leafgren, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Project: Arabidopsis thaliana mutants defective in DJ-1 homologs
Mentor: Dr. Julie M. Stone

I am very honored and thankful to receive the ASPB Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to continue with my research on DJ-1 homologs this summer. It is an excellent time to be involved in plant biology and plant biochemistry. Study of the intricacies of programmed cell death is particularly intriguing, and I am thrilled to be a part of it. I would like to thank Dr. Julie Stone, Madhavan Soundararjan, Tara Nazarenus, Joseph Msanne, and the UCARE program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln for their ongoing support and guidance.

Yi Liu, Michigan State University
Project: Investigation of CLUMPED CHLOROPLAST function in Arabidopsis
Mentor: Katherine Osteryoung

It is a great honor to receive the ASPB SURF award. I would like to thank Dr. Katherine Osteryoung for getting me started in plant biology research. I also want to thank Dr. Yue Yang for her guidance and encouragement. My project involves investigating the function of CLUMPED CHLOROPLAST. I look forward to gaining more research experience this summer and presenting my work at the 2011 ASPB conference.

Aubree Wilke, University of North Dakota
Project: Identification of insect resistance genes in poplar trees using forward genetics
Mentor: Steven Gregory Ralph

I am very pleased to have been awarded the SURF grant. This funding will allow me to continue working in Dr. Ralph’s lab at UND. I will learn techniques used in plant genomics, molecular biology, biochemistry, and forest tree ecology. SURF offers me the experience needed to fulfill my dream of graduate school and a career in plant biology. I am very excited to have this opportunity!

Robert Harbert, Roanoke College
Project: Root growth in response to nutrient deficiency in cellulose synthase mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana
Mentor: Len Pysh

I am extremely grateful to have been awarded a SURF grant. This will both support my research opportunities for the summer as well as contribute to my laboratory experience, which will be very beneficial as I pursue a graduate degree in plant biology. I am looking forward to continuing my research full-time this summer and would like to thank ASPB for this opportunity.

Julia Marrs, Barnard College
Project: What are the fitness effects of respiratory acclimation in an Arabidopsis thaliana model?
Mentor: Hilary Callahan

I plan to pursue a career in scientific research with a focus on climate change and sustainable development. I am performing experiments modeling the environmental conditions of the Alaskan tundra, where the effects of future climate change will most likely be quite complex. It is essential to gain information about how plant respiration will acclimate to increasing temperatures, the near-nightless conditions during the arctic growing season, and higher nitrogen availability due to increased microbial activity. Increases in plant respiration could be a notable source of carbon efflux, creating potentially significant changes in arctic ecosystems. I would like to thank ASPB for this generous grant, which will greatly facilitate my summer research and my continuing education in the field of biology.

Kelly Salmon, The College of New Jersey
Project: Elucidation of the biochemical function of CYP72A9 in Arabidopsis thaliana
Mentor: Leeann Thornton

I am really excited about receiving an ASPB SURF for 2010! The opportunity for full-time research over the summer will give me time to do biochemical analysis of purified proteins that I would not have time to easily perform during the school year. The data collected will contribute greatly to the senior honors thesis I will be writing next year based on my research. In addition, the full immersion into my research and the experience of attending a national conference will help me develop my ability to present and discuss my research and will be excellent preparation for graduate school.

Elan Silverblatt-Buser, Swarthmore College
Project: Identifying BOBER1 dependent developmental genes in Arabidopsis
Mentor: Nick Kaplinsky

I am extremely excited to be awarded the SURF for 2010. This fellowship will allow me to continue working in the astonishing field of plant molecular genetics, as well as gain exposure to research techniques in plant biology. I would like to thank Dr. Nick Kaplinsky for his encouragement and mentorship. I am looking forward to sharing my research next summer at the annual ASPB meeting!

Kyle Arend, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Amanda Bosquet, University of Vermont
Jordan Hopkins, Clemson University
Jonathan Massey, University of Illinois
Itai Ronen, University of Texas–Austin
Matthew Tegowski, The Ohio State University

Alyssa Gleischsner, Penn State-Erie/The Behrend College
Phillip Van Dyke, Aurora University