REU Site: Re-IMAGiNE Life, Exploring Function through Adaptation

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This REU Site award to The University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, AL, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks each year during the summers of 2022- 2024. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from an under-represented group, will be trained in the program. Students of non-traditional backgrounds and academic paths including those that have a passion for biology but may underperform in the traditional classroom setting are especially targeted for this experience. Students will learn to conduct research and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences and/or contribute to a peer-reviewed publication. Assessment of the program will be done through a standardized survey and students will be tracked after the program to determine their career paths.Understanding how genomic and environmental variation are integrated to give rise to complex traits via adaptation is one of the key challenges in biology. This REU Site will Re-IMAGiNE (Integrating Mechanisms of Adaptation with Genes in Networks and across Environments) Life, providing students an opportunity to explore the diversity of adaptive strategies found across the tree of life. Students will perform integrated research in the Department of Biological Sciences and have opportunities to learn from multiple subdisciplines of biology. Potential projects will explore how organisms adapt to biological and environmental-derived stress in fields ranging from freshwater ecology to medical microbiology to evolutionary genomics. Participants will explore all aspects of research, including literature review, research ethics training, experimental design, lab and/or field-based experimentation, data analysis, and presentation of results. Other activities will include seminars demonstrating novel research, field trips to Alabama research centers, and professional development activities promoting diverse science careers. Interested students should apply using the application link on our website (https://bsc.ua.edu/degree-programs/undergraduate-studies/reu-program/). No prior research experience is expected or needed. Multiple Zoom conversations will be scheduled with top applicants before the final selection of participants. More information about the program is available by visiting https://bsc.ua.edu/degree-programs/undergraduate-studies/reu-program/, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Olson at jolson@ua.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. McKain at mrmckain@ua.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.