REU Site: Comparative Animal Model Approaches to Regeneration and Aging

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This REU Site award to the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL), located in Bar Harbor, ME, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2023-2025. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from underrepresented groups, will be trained in the program. Students will be at all stages of their undergraduate studies, and special consideration will be given to applicants interested in microscopy and comparative animal model research on regeneration and aging. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Assessment of the program will be done through the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be required to register in the NSF ETAP system (etap.nsf.gov) and tracked after the program to determine their career paths.This REU program MDIBL will expose students to comparative animal model approaches used to understand the biology of regeneration and aging. Labs at this REU site are interested in how cells, tissues, organs, and limbs are repaired or replenished after injury or during the ordinary course of development and the mechanisms retained or reemployed to ensure an organism thrives once development is complete. To answer these questions, researchers at MDIBL use various animal models. These animals include zebrafish, killifish, axolotl, fruit flies (Drosophila), and nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans), which can be used to compare the genetic similarities and differences in aging and regeneration strategies across species. Students will be fully integrated into the scientific culture of MDIBL through symposia, seminars, activities, responsible conduct of research training, and weekly career discussions. Students More information about the program is available in the NSF ETAP registration system and by visiting https://mdibl.org/education/student-fellowships/reu-summer-fellowships/, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Updike at dupdike@mdibl.org) or the co-PI (Dr. Disney at jdisney@mdibl.org).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.