Plant Sciences and Bioinformatics Program
http://plantsciences.unl.edu/summer_research.html
The 21st century presents a number of key challenges for the future of human society: millions of people are chronically malnourished and millions more lack food security; the widespread use of fossil fuels is altering the atmosphere, leading to global climate changes; and the fossil fuel reserves are steadily declining, threatening our future energy supply.
Within this context, plants and algae have never been more important to people. Plants and algae are the ultimate source of all our food, and produce countless compounds that are pivotal for industrial and medicinal purposes. Plants and algae use sunlight energy to convert carbon dioxide and inorganic nutrients into organics compounds. This assimilation of carbon dioxide also plays a key role in establishing and maintaining the atmospheric composition, with far reaching implications for earth climate. Moreover, the organic compounds generated by photosynthesis can also provide a renewable source of energy (i.e., biofuels).
However, significant research advances in the Plant Sciences will be necessary to achieve sustainable agricultural systems and a steady supply of renewable resources for, among others, the health and energy industries. Plants are complex -the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana has almost as many genes as humans- and fully understanding their structure and function requires integrated approaches involving biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science. At the same time, new technological developments in genomics, bioinformatics, and genetic engineering are creating unprecedented possibilities to combine plant breeding and agronomic practices with emerging knowledge about health, nutrition, and biofuels. Our future depends on students willing to take on these challenges. The goal of our Plant Sciences and Bioinformatics Program is to allow undergraduate students to explore many exciting research opportunities in the field of integrative plant biology. Students with a background in Mathematics or Computer Science who would like to gain research experience in Biology are strongly encouraged to apply.
Each student will be assigned a faculty mentor and participate actively in the design and implementation of a ten-week research project. Students will explore the frontiers of knowledge and learn cutting edge techniques while having access to state-of-the-art instrumentation in individual labs as well as in the core facilities. A weekly seminar series will provide an opportunity to exchange ideas with other students, researchers, and faculty. The program also offers a number of social and recreational activities as well as several self-help seminars for students interested in attending graduate school such as resume writing, GRE test taking, and poster presentation.
