This REU Site award to Heritage University, located in Toppenish, WA, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during each summer of 2020-2022. All students participate in pre-REU workshops that will cover topics on ethics and the responsible conduct of research, sexual harassment, cross-cultural dimensions of research, and critical thinking skills in experimental design. Additional workshops are scheduled during the summer to increase student competence in doing research and to improve their ability to effectively present their research. The Heritage University REU (HU REU) will focus its recruitment on students from Heritage University, Columbia Basin College, Yakima Valley College, Portland Community College, Portland State University, and universities and community colleges from the Pacific Northwest region. Students from other institutions who desire placement at one of the partner labs are encouraged to apply. A rolling student application process begins in January prior to each summer research experience. Students with completed application will be interviewed prior to placement in a lab that matches their interest. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU Site programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system and tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths.
The Heritage University REU trains students in research involving the molecular and cell biology of plant and animal development and their interactions with the environment. Research is conducted under the mentorship of faculty and scientists at several locations: University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA); USDA ARS (Wapato, WA); Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA); Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, WA); Washington State University (Prosser, WA); Yakama Nation Fisheries; and Oregon State University (Corvalis, OR). Example projects include phytochrome signaling in plants, cell biology of Tetrahymena and C. elegans, and microbial-plant interactions, and many others. Students are encouraged to visit http://heritage.edu/academic-paths/special-programs/hu-nsf-reu/ , or contact the PI (Dr. Bob Kao at kao_r@heritage.edu ) or the co-PI (Provost Dr. Kazu Sonoda at Sonoda_K@heritage.edu ).
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
