Research in microbiology has made critical contributions to understanding and harnessing the metabolic power of microorganisms. To enable undergraduate students to actively participate in the process of scientific research and discovery, the Microbiology and Cell Science Department at the University of Florida (UF MCS) will offer research internships to enable research-oriented undergraduates to engage in an intensive 10-week summer research experience in laboratories at the University of Florida in Gainesville and the NASA Kennedy Space Life Sciences Laboratory. Research areas will include prokaryotic metabolism, genetics and biochemistry, parasitology, mycology, immunology, host-microbe interactions, microbial ecology, and plant molecular biology. The research approaches include, but are not limited to, bioinformatics, genomics, proteomics, genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, molecular ecology, microscopy, and immunological assays. While actively engaging in scientific discovery, participants will gain facility in fundamental laboratory techniques, critical thinking skills, and oral and written communication skills. Students will work in close collaboration with faculty and host laboratory mentors and will also participate in peer-level collegial experiences through organized social functions, discussion-formatted seminars in ethics and bioinformatics, industry and recreational field trips, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) preparation workshops, and discussions on topics in career and professional development. As members of the Southeastern Microbiology Research Training Network, participants will also have the opportunity to interact with scientists and students from the Microbiology departments at the University of Georgia and North Carolina State University. The University of Florida MCS REU program actively encourages applications from women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and students at institutions with limited research opportunities. For additional information about the UF MCS Research Experience for Undergraduates Program, please contact Dr. Madeline Rasche (mrasche@ufl.edu) or Dr. Nemat Keyhani (keyhani@ufl.edu), or visit http://nsf-reu.ifas.ufl.edu/.
