Dr. Marc Libault, Agronomy & Horticulture (UNL)
Project Description: The Libault lab in interested in characterize the unique use of the plant genome by the different cell composing the plant. To better understand how two plant cells having different biological function differentially use the same DNA molecule, the Libault lab use single cell molecular technologies. Interested students will validate the differential activity of selected plant genes by applying molecular, cellular, and microscopic biotechnologies on various model systems (e.g., Arabidopsis, soybean).
Dr. James Schnable, Agronomy & Horticulture (UNL)
Project Description: Projects for high school students in the summer of 2021 would include either training convolutional neural nets to measure plant traits from photos of plants, or collecting phenotype information (measurements) from sorghum and maize plants grown in the field and using this data, combined with public marker data to conduct a genome wide association study to identify some of the genes controlling the target trait.
Dr. Jeffrey Mower, Agronomy & Horticulture (UNL)
Project Description: The Mower lab is interested in understanding the evolution of gene function. Interested students would take part in ongoing projects using various model systems (tobacco, Arabidopsis, ferns, green algae) to assess the functional diversification of enzymes involved in post-transcriptional processing of plant mitochondrial and plastid transcripts.
Dr. Ryan Wong, Biology (University of Nebraska - Omaha)
Project Description: Many factors influence learning and memory capabilities. In this project, a student will assist in conducting experiments aimed to investigate what influences learning and memory. It will involve learning how to design and implement computer-assisted behavioral cognition assays and analyses using zebrafish