Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program
Illinois Natural History Survey
Prairie Research Institute
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
ON
Hemipteran-Phytoplasma-Plant (HPP) Association Diversity
Program Description
The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program sponsored by the National Science Foundation supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the Foundation. The Illinois Natural History Survey (Prairie Research Institute) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is seeking undergraduate students who want to be involved in an ongoing research project focused on the detection and characterization of phytoplasmas, a group of bacteria associated with insects (vectors, primarily Hemiptera) and plants (hosts) and implicated in plant disease.
The focus of this project is to uncover the true diversity of phytoplasmas worldwide, reconstruct their evolutionary relationships, and document their associations with insects and plants by screening a large collection of insects preserved in a museum biorepository using modern DNA sequencing techniques and by revisioning large available literature.
Students will be paired with a mentor in the research group and will conduct research, attend lab meetings, and develop communication skills by presenting research at a symposium or to other collaborators and contributing to scientific publications.
During the 10-week program, students gain hands-on experience in genetics, environmental sciences, pathology, systematics, and phylogenomics. The student will receive insights on how to use a multidisciplinary approach to study the evolutionary ecology of bacterial parasites and their hosts and use the knowledge gained to predict and prevent the emergence of plant diseases.
Program includes
- Hands-on mentored research
- Potential travel to the National Research Council of Italy for 2-week research experience
- Social activities, networking events, and professional development opportunities
- Program dates: June 3, 2024 – July 26, 2024 (8 weeks, approx. 30 hours/week)
- Stipends – approximately $700/student/week
- Housing at Daniels Hall (double room)
- Travel & Conference Registration Fees
- Laboratory Use Fees
Eligibility Requirements
- highly motivated undergraduates with a GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Preference is given to students from underrepresented groups in science and engineering—including women, minorities, and persons with disabilities—as well as first-generation college students.
- U.S. citizens or permanent residents
- applicants must have completed their sophomore (second) year by the start of the program
- applicants must be 18 years of age or older
- Provide current transcript
- Complete the application
Location and duration of the program
- Location: Natural Resources Building - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- 8 weeks, approx. 30 hours/week
Application Timeline
- November 6, 2023 – Student Application Open
- February 29, 2024 – Student Application Closes
- March 22, 2024 – Offer letters sent to students
- April 1, 2024 – Students accept or decline the offer (Faculty/Mentor will be informed immediately)
- April 15, 2024 – Student stipends and appointments established.
- June 3, 2024 – REU program at INHS starts
- July 26, 2024 – REU program ends (flexible upon Faculty/Mentor approval)
To Apply
The application materials consist of:
- A 5000-character Personal Statement: Please describe your academic and career goals and how the REU program will help you to achieve these goals
- A copy of your unofficial transcript
- A short CV
Applications must be sent via email to Dr. Trivellone @ valeria3@illinois.edu (reference “REU Application” in the subject line).
The REU student will work on one of the following subprojects:
- SubProject 1: Tracking the elusive: discovery of plant pathogens related strains in natural areas (candidate will learn about new molecular approaches to uncover phytoplasma diversity)
- SubProject 2: Characterizing landscape interfaces for new phytoplasma strains and analysis of potential of spillover (candidate will learn about spillover risk assessment using geographically referenced information)
- SubProject 3: Biodiversity dimensions of host-parasite networks (candidate will learn about how to measure the main components of biodiversity in host-pathogen association networks)
- SubProject 4: Phylogenetic analysis of comparing tree (candidate will learn about algorithms for constructing and comparing phylogenetic trees)
- SubProject 5: Vouchering host-parasite associations: tracking names and associated attributes for proper analytical evaluation (candidate will learn about how to prepare and preserve high-quality museum specimens, digitize and track host-parasite data)
