REU Program- Expanding Scientific Investigation Through Entomology
Overview
Entomology is an integrated thread thoughout the biological, agricultural and life sciences. Insects are a vital component of virtually every ecosystem on earth. Studying insects can provide insight into the important questions of environmental variability and change currently facing human society. In conjunction with the National Science Foundation, the Department's REU site invites students from various academic backgrounds within the biological, life, and agricultural sciences to come together to discover entomology.
Research will be conducted in such areas as insect physiology, pest species population genetics, molecular processes of the pest-host pathogen relationship, disease vector species, and insect-plant interactions. Students will have access to the Department of Entomology laboratories and equipment, as well as university-wide resources such as libraries and computational facilities. In addition, they will participate as a group in numerous enrichment activities, both campus-wide and specific to the Entomology REU. Students will then exchange research ideas as they participate in seminars and lecture series, discussion groups and symposia. To enrich students' skills, workshops covering written and oral research presentation, career development and GRE exam prep sessions.