This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Kansas State University will host an REU Site program in the Ecology, Evolution, and Genomics of Grassland Organisms during the summers of 2009-2011. Eight undergraduate students will be selected each year to participate in a 10-week summer program, and will have the opportunity to conduct independent research projects that tackle questions in evolutionary ecology with the tools of molecular biology. The summer program has three components that will contribute to the professional development of undergraduate participants: i) independent research projects that train students in field methods, lab techniques, and experimental design, ii) a weekly 3-credit research seminar that introduces students to emerging questions in the biology of grassland ecosystems, and iii) a research symposium that will develop student presentation skills. Major research resources for this REU Site program include the Ecological Genomics Institute and Konza Prairie Biological Station. The Ecological Genomics Institute includes state of the art scientific facilities for genotyping and DNA sequencing, gene expression and workshops in microarray technology. Konza Prairie is a tallgrass prairie preserve and a key research site in the Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) Program. Additional resources at K State include facilities for analyses of stable isotopes, a range of laboratory and field equipment for specialized ecological research, and mentors who are research leaders in ecological genomics and grassland ecology. The research theme of this REU Site emphasizes applications of molecular techniques to investigations of ecological and evolutionary processes in the biota of the tallgrass prairie, where research results will have conservation implications for predicting and mitigating the consequences of global change. This program provides unique opportunities for interdisciplinary research that can take advantage of long-term field experiments that have been running for over 30 years! The program welcomes applications from students of underrepresented groups (minority, first-generation or non-traditional), and students at smaller colleges where research opportunities may be limited. Prospective applicants are invited to obtain further information and application forms from the Program Coordinator (Dr. Brett K. Sandercock, PH: 785-532-0120, EM: bsanderc@ksu.edu) or by visiting the program website (www.ksu.edu/bsanderc/reu).
