An award has been made to the University of Georgia to provide research training for 9 weeks for 10 students, during the summers of 2011-2013. The program focuses on the diverse functions of microorganisms using modern, interdisciplinary approaches. The program involves the participation of over 20 faculty mentors from the Departments of Microbiology, Marine Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Genetics, Infectious Diseases, Population Health, Environmental Health Sciences, and Entomology. Students do research that addresses broad questions ranging from the activities of microbes in environmental and geochemical processes to their symbiotic relationships with plants, animals and insects. Each student is expected to do full-time lab research under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Additional supervision is provided by postdoctoral fellows and graduate students who receive training in best practices for undergraduate mentoring through an "Entering Mentoring" program. Students are also expected to participate in seminars and workshops on the responsible conduct of research, the communication of scientific results, career opportunities in microbiology, and the graduate school application process. In addition, students present the results of their research in a poster session at the end of the program. Students have access to state-of-the-art research facilities in individual faculty mentors' labs, as well as departmental and interdepartmental core facilities. Recruitment practices for the program include both mailings and digital-based advertising and are designed to generate a culturally and ethnically diverse pool of applicants. Students are selected based on their academic performance, interest in microbiology, and potential for conducting outstanding research in microbiology. Students are tracked to determine their career paths and the impact of their participation in the program on their career choices. The quality of research experiences for the undergraduate participants in the program will be assessed by a variety of methods, including use of common assessment tool for REU Site programs. Additional information about the program is available by visiting www.uga.edu/mib/reu/REUindex.htm, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Timothy Hoover at trhoover@uga.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Eric Stabb at estabb@uga.edu).
