Announcing the 2023 ASPB Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF)

The ASPB Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) program funds undergraduate students to carry out a 10-week research experience in plant biology early in their college careers. This year's SURF recipients will present their research at Plant Biology 2024. Congratulations to these 2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows and their mentors:

SURFers from Doctoral Granting Institutions

Jordan L. Chastain, University of California-Berkeley
Mentor: Sabeeha S. Merchant
Project: Varied Photoperiods of Algal-Heterotroph Symbioses for Space Habitation

Mac C. Flanagan, Cornell University
Mentor: Arjun Khakhar
Project: Determination of Unknown Enzyme Function in Solanum lycopersicum Using Viral Vector-Based Expression Engineering

Eric X. Fritschi, University of Missouri-Columbia
Mentor: Antje Heese
Project: Deciphering Role of Arabidopsis VESICULAR TRAFFICKING5 (VES5) in Accumulating Photosynthetic Components During Iron Deficiency Response

Yuxin Jiang, University of California-Davis
Mentor: Maria Maldonado
Project: The Role of Respiratory Supercomplexes During Seed Germination

Megan R. Johnston, University of Kentucky
Mentor: Nicole Gauthier
Project: Characterization of the Alternaria Species Causing Early Blight of Tomato in Kentucky

Bianca Y. Lopez, University of California San Diego
Mentor: Andrew Muroyama
Project: Designing Genetically Encoded Tools for Local Cytoskeletal Disruption in Plant Cells

Jonathan D. Mason, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Mentor: Andrew Leakey
Project: A Multitask Convolutional Neural Network Approach to Phenotype Key Miscanthus Traits using High Spatial Resolution UAV Imagery

Evelyn McAdam, North Carolina State University
Mentor: Amanda Cardoso
Project: Understanding Plant Stress Resilience to Achieve Sustainable Agriculture

Alison J. Norton, Cornell University
Mentor: Georg Jander
Project: Identification of Cardiac Glycoside Biosynthetic Genes in Asclepias curassavica

Jedidiah O. Peek, University of California-Davis
Mentor: Philipp Zerbe
Project: Defining the TF Regulatory Network Governing Diterpene Biosynthesis in Zea mays

Katie Philipps, Michigan State University
Mentor: Miranda J. Haus
Project: Early Seedling Root Structure Analysis of Andean Common Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Lizbeth Sanchez Rosas, University of Maryland
Mentor: Caren Chang
Project: Investigating the Roles of Ethylene Receptors in Marchantia polymorpha

Shelby L. Sliger, Purdue University
Mentor: Joe P. Ogas
Project: Determining the Contribution of Histone Variant H2A.Z to the Promotion of the Epigenetic Mark H3K27me3 in Arabidopsis thaliana

Taylor N. Smith, West Virginia University
Mentor: Joseph H. Lynch
Project: Reverse Genetic Analysis of Cytosolic Phenylalanine Biosynthetic Flux Control

Noah M. Volin, University of Michigan
Mentor: Erik Nielsen
Project: Investigating the Roles of KORRIGAN Endoglucanases During Cellulose Synthesis in Plants

Colin R. Wilburn, University of Missouri-Columbia
Mentor: Paula McSteen
Project: Understanding the Role of lateral rootless2 (lrs2) in Auxin Transport

SURFers from Primarily Undergraduate Institutions

Janick Boily, Bishop's University
Mentor: Sarathi M. Weruduwage
Project: Investigating the Effect of Elevated Mitochondrial Pyruvate Dehydrogenase (mtPDH) Activity on the Biochemical Limitations of Photosynthesis

Cian Dotson, Loyola University-Chicago
Mentor: Michael Grillo
Project: The Influence of Rhizobia in Legume Microbiome Formation and Functionality

Rene S. Frye, Missouri Western State University
Mentor: Csengele Barta
Is the Capacity to Emit Isoprene a Valuable Tool in Plants' Arsenal for Fending Off Aggressive Allelopathic Invaders During a Chemical Warfare for Resources and Survival?

Raegan L. Mozal, Butler University
Mentor: Benjamin J. Spears
Project: Genetic Characterization of the TCP Transcription Factor Gene Family in Physcomitrium patens

Sonja Weber, Missouri Western State University
Mentor: Csengele Barta
Project: The Secret Language of Plants: Unveiling the Intricate Mechanisms of Chemical Communication Between Species