REU Site: Botany and Conservation Biology Research at the Missouri Botanical Garden

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This REU Site award to Missouri Botanical Garden, located in St. Louis, MO, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks, during the summers of 2016-2018. Major themes of the program are plant diversity, evolution, and conservation. Projects emphasizing lab, herbarium, field, and statistical work are available to students, with subject areas including plant systematics and taxonomy, conservation of endangered species, ecological restoration, invasive species biology, biodiversity assessment, pollination biology, new crop development, and ethnobotany. Students will complete individual research projects and participate in group educational sessions on research design, resources and methods, scientific writing, preparation of posters and talks, graduate school success, and scientific ethics and responsible conduct of research. Recruitment will target students nationwide, with emphasis on institutions with limited research infrastructure, as well as regional HBCU and TCU institutions. Current sophomores and juniors are encouraged to apply. Students submit applications on-line. Student selection and pairing with mentors are made by the PIs, in consultation with mentors and other colleagues, based on applicant's academic record, prior experience, and expressed interest.It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. Students will learn how research is conducted and will be encouraged to present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Enrichment activities will include seminars by local or visiting scientists, field trips to natural and cultural attractions, and interactions with faculty and students from other local REU and internship programs.A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences) will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about the program is available by visiting http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/plant-science/plant-science/resources/opportunities/undergraduate-studies.aspx or by contacting the PI (Dr. Wendy Applequist at wendy.applequist@mobot.org) or the co-PI (Dr. Peter Hoch at peter.hoch@mobot.org).