SURE Opportunities
2010 Internship Opportunities will be posted beginning December 29, 2009.
Internship with Dr. Pierluigi “Enrico” Bonello, Columbus
E-mail: bonello.2@osu.edu
Website: http://plantpath.osu.edu/faculty/bonello.php
Dr. Bonello's laboratory is specialized in the study of the physiological, chemical, and molecular determinants of tree resistance to fungal pathogens and insects and how the whole tree mediates interactions between these pests. Both native and exotic, invasive pests are at the center of these studies. The ultimate goal is to make important tree species more sustainable. One or two positions are available to work on some aspects of these tripartite interactions. Opportunities exist to work in the laboratory and learn modern techniques applied to the chemical and molecular analysis of woody plant tissues.
Internship with Dr. John Finer, Wooster
E-mail: finer.1@osu.edu
Website: http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/plantranslab/default.htm
Research efforts in the Finer Laboratory have focused on genetic transformation and transgene expression in crop plants. In the area of transformation, our main efforts continue to be with gene introduction in soybean. We have recently moved into sunflower transformation and are introducing the Tnt transposon for reverse genetics approaches with this crop.
In the area of transgene expression, we use automated image capture and analysis for promoter evaluation using GFP. Images, collected over time, are both quantitatively analyzed for GFP expression and used to generate time-lapse animations of tissue growth and gene expression. The animations reveal unique features of the subject tissues, which are clearly not visible from single time point image collections. Over the next year, we have received funding to isolate and characterize 100 different promoters from soybean using 2 different validation tools. Both validation tools rely on GFP imaging for quantification of promoter strength and specificity.
A SURE student in the Finer Laboratory would assist graduate students and post-docs in isolating, subcloning and characterizing a thematic family of soybean promoters using two different methods of gene delivery as image analysis of gene expression.
Internship with Dr. Erich Grotewold, Columbus
E-mail: grotewold.1@osu.edu
Website: http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/pcmb/osu_pcmb/faculty_sites/Erich/index.html
One of the interests in the Grotewold lab is to investigate the architecture of plant gene regulatory networks, combining experimental and computational tools, using Arabidopsis and several grasses (maize, rice, sugarcane and sorghum) as model systems. Several projects in this area are available for interested students, involving the generation and analysis of Arabidopsis transgenic plants to identify the target genes for a select group of transcription factors, the characterization of antibodies for specific transcription factors, and finally the identification of direct targets utilizing chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) techniques. Students interested in becoming familiar with bioinformatics tools to work on the AGRIS and GRASSIUS databases, and to help analyze results from next generation sequencing experiments are encouraged to apply as well.
Internship with Dr. Patrice Hamel, Columbus
E-mail: hamel.16@osu.edu
Website: http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/pcmb/osu_pcmb/people_faculty_hamelPatrice.php
Two summer internship positions are available at the Ohio State University-Department of Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology, Columbus. One project will focus on the use of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to dissect the assembly of complex I in the mitochondria. The goals are 1) introduce human-disease associated mutations in the mitochondrial genes encoding complex I subunits by biolistic transformation of the mitochondrial genome and 2) isolate nuclear mutant deficient in the assembly of complex I by insertional mutagenesis of the nucleus.The second project will make use of yeast as a model system to understand the function of a class of proteins (called coiled-coil proteins) for which some members control some unknown aspect of mitochondrial function. Mutations in these proteins will be engineered by molecular genetic in yeast and analyzed for their impact on the mitochondrial function. Functional homologs of these proteins in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana will be discovered by functional complementation of the yeast mutant using a cDNA library. This project is in collaboration with the laboratory of Dr Iris Meier (http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/pcmb/osu_pcmb/people_faculty_meierIris.php) and will be supervised by the PI. Interns will be exposed to basic molecular biology techniques (e.g. PCR, DNA extraction) and molecular genetic technology (e.g. mitochondrial and nuclear transformation). For more details interested candidates are encouraged to check the laboratory website listed above.
Internship with Dr. Michelle Jones, Wooster
E-mail: jones.1968@osu.edu
Website: http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/joneslab/
Research efforts in the Jones Laboratory focus on the molecular regulation of senescence in ornamental plants, using Petunia as a model crop. The premature senescence of flowers and leaves has a negative impact on the quality and marketability of ornamental plants. The goal of our research is to delay senescence and improve the postproduction quality and shelf life of Floriculture crops. A number of senescence-related genes have been identified from petunia flowers using DNA microarrays. A SURE student in the Jones Laboratory would assist scientists with the real time PCR analysis of gene expression changes during senescence, and with phenotypic analysis of transgenic petunias.
Internship with Dr. Rebecca Lamb, Columbus
E-mail: lamb.129@osu.edu
Website: http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/pcmb/osu_pcmb/people_faculty_lambRebecca.php
Research efforts in the Lamb Laboratory focus on two major projects: characterization of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerases (PARPs) in the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana and Physcomitrella patens and pathogenetic fungi and transcriptional control of flowering in Arabidopsis. PARPs are enzymes that post-translationally modify proteins in the nucleus by adding ADP-ribose subunits from NAD+ to targets. Usually this modification recruits new protein partners to modify activity. We have identified unique PARPs in land plants and in fungi that are currently under investigation in the laboratory. Flowering is arguably the most important part of the angiosperm life cycle and its control is essential for plant propagation. We have identified proteins that work in conjunction with the LEAFY transcription factor to regulate this important step in plant development and are currently characterizing these factors.
Internship with Dr. David Mackey, Columbus
E-mail: mackey.86@osu.edu
Website: http://hcs.osu.edu/index.php/people/hcs-faculty
Summer internships in molecular plant pathology research are available at the Columbus campus of the Ohio State University. The research will employ molecular and genetic approaches to understand how virulence effectors from the bacterial plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae perturb their targets inside plant cells. The intern will work closely with postdoctoral scientists and graduate students to gain experience in molecular biology as well as plant pathology research. For more details interested candidates are encouraged to visit the laboratory website.
Internship with Dr. Brian McSpadden Gardener, Wooster
E-mail: bbmg+@osu.edu
Website: http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/mcspaddengardenerlab/
Many bacterial species can promote plant growth and health. Our laboratory studies the diversity and activities of these beneficial plant-microbe associations. For 2010, a position is available to assist with research related to microbially-mediated plant disease control. The position will combine field and laboratory duties to assess the molecular and ecological basis for the efficacy of different biocontrol agents that suppress plant diseases. The intern will learn how to assess plant diseases, sample field plots, and characterize microbial populations using molecular techniques such as PCR and gene sequencing. The work will also involve in silico genomic analysis of one or more bacteria.
Internship with Dr.David Somers, Columbus
E-mail: somers.24@osu.edu
Website: http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/pcmb/osu_pcmb/people_faculty_somersDavid.php
A summer internship is available with my group in understanding the function of the plant circadian clock. We use the model plant Arabidopsis to probe the molecular makeup of the 24 h timing system inherent in all plants and animals. You will have the opportunity to work with graduate students or post-docs to learn the basic molecular genetic and biochemical techniques used in our research, and possibly have a small project of your own. Please see our website for more information.
Internship with Dr. Eric J. Stockinger, Wooster
E-mail: stockinger.4@osu.edu
Website: http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/stockingerlab/
The Stockinger lab is conducting investigations to determine the underlying molecular-genetic basis of freezing tolerance in plants. We are sequencing regions of the genome that encode proteins playing key roles in activating and regulating biochemical pathways important for freezing tolerance. We are investigating how these regulatory factors are themselves regulated, and are interested in identifying the critical elements encoded in DNA imparting the initial transcriptional output when a plant first senses low temperature. We are also interested in understanding how these regulatory proteins mechanistically function to activate their downstream targets. Our investigations utilize both model and crop plant species. We train and mentor undergraduate students interested in learning lab and bioinformatic skills associated with molecular-genetic, and genomic analyses of plant freezing tolerance.
Internship with Dr. F. Robert Tabita, Columbus
E-mail: tabita.1@osu.edu
Website: http://www.osumicrobiology.org/faculty/ftabita.htm
One or two summer internship positions are available at The Ohio State University- Columbus, Ohio main campus to assist in molecular and biochemical studies of carbon dioxide assimilation and biofuels production catalyzed by photosynthetic microbes. The research will focus on the use of molecular genetic approaches to understand the regulation of genes involved in these processes and will also consider aspects of the structure and function of enzymes that catalyze important reactions. interns will work in close collaboration with postdoctoral scientists and graduate students to gain experience in molecular biology and biochemical research. For more details interested candidates are encouraged to check the laboratory website listed above.
Internship with Dr. Esther Van der Knaap, Wooster
E-mail: vanderknaap.1@osu.edu
Website: http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/vanderknaap/
Research in the Van der Knaap laboratory on the Wooster campus is centered on the regulatory control of tomato fruit shape. Specifically, we are investigating how differences in gene expression change fruit form. Various projects are available and the interns will be exposed to DNA, RNA extraction, PCR, sequence analysis and database searches. These projects will be conducted in close collaboration with the PI, post doctoral associate and/or graduate students in our laboratory. For more information, please follow the laboratory’s webpage link listed above.
Internship with Dr. Guo-liang Wang, Columbus
E-mail: wang.620@osu.edu
Website: http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~wang/
The main focus of the Wang lab is to understand the mechanism of plant-pathogen interactions, and the signal transduction pathways leading to the induction of disease resistance responses. Both genetic and genomic approaches are being used in the program. They are currently using rice as the model plant since it is one of the most important food crops in the world, its genome is the smallest one among cereals and the genome sequence is publicly available. They are also interested in generation of novel genomics tools and resources for functional analysis of plant genomes. SURE Intern student will have an opportunity to participate in their disease resistance or functional genomics projects. For more information about the lab, visit the lab website listed above.