IRES: US-Ecuador-Peru-International: Undergraduate Rainforest Expedition and Laboratory

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Abstract for Proposal: OISE-0853408 PI/Institution: Strobel, Scott; Yale University Summary of Proposal: This International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project, funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5), will support undergraduates in an intensive training program that includes an annual field expedition to the upper Amazonian rainforest followed by an extensive summer research experience. The goals of the research experience include culturing, characterizing and assessing the biological activity of each endophyte. The students will be prepared for this experience by enrolling in a full semester course taught at Yale University. The first half of the course prepares students for the expedition, and the second half prepares them for the subsequent laboratory work. The curriculum includes developing an experimental plan in collaboration with other faculty on campus. During the summer research laboratory, the students will analyze the microbial and chemical diversity of endophytes isolated from tropical plants collected during the expedition. The students will work collaboratively in the field with students and faculty from Catholic University (PUCE) in Quito Ecuador and will experience a complex ecosystem, culture novel microorganisms and characterize a natural product for its biological activity. Each student's project will be unique, original, and open-ended. Students will become experts on the organism they culture, isolate, characterize, and potentially name. In addition NSF?s support will be to increase participation by students from underrepresented minority groups and by women.