August 2008 USREV Student Recognition Picnic. Left to Right. Front row: Abelardo Vernaza,
Maddelina Allegretta, Alexandra DeLaRosaHernandez, Katherine Lamb. Second row: Dr. James Van Etten,
Dr. Charles Wood, Graduate Student Mentor Hui-Ju Wen, BRIN student, Scott Dudis, Dr. Fernando Osorio,
Dr. Luwen Zhang. Back row: Dr. Clinton Jones and Postdoc Mentor Dr. Dustin Petrik.
The students in the 2008 USREV program were the first to conduct research in brand new state-of- the-art labs in the Ken Morrison Life Sciences Research Center on the UNL East Campus, the new home of the Nebraska Center for Virology as of April of 2008. This year, our program attracted students from as far away as Puerto Rico. The ten-week-long research training is open to all interested students who attend colleges outside of Nebraska and are of current sophomore or junior standing and are interested in a career in virology research. Students receive a stipend of $4,000, dormitory lodging and meals, round-trip air fare, and more. Our students this year included: Maddelina Allegretta, Seton Hall, New Jersey; R. Scott Dudis, Ohio State; Alexandra DeLaRosaHernandez, Universidad Metropolitana, Puerto Rico; Katherine Lamb, University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh; and Abelardo Vernaza, Barry University, Miramar, FL.