Plant STEM Summer Undergraduate Research Internship

Research Program Details

  • Located on the USU Main Campus, Logan, UT
  • 10-week program
  • $7,000 stipend
  • On campus housing
  • Travel and meals stipends
  • Interdisciplinary research opportunities in: Biological & Chemical Engineering, Biology, Plants Soils & Climate, Nutrition Dietetics & Food Science

The next program will tentaively initiate May 18, 2027

Benefits

  • Hands-on research in faculty labs and field sites
  • Personal mentoring and guidance in designing and conducting research, data analysis, and technical communication
  • Interactive tours of related industries
  • Nearby recreation options: hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, ropes course

Eligibility

  • Completion of two semesters
  • Classwork in agriculture, engineering, biology, or biochemistry/chemistry
  • U.S. Citizen or permanent resident
  • Preference will be given to students from primarily undergraduate institutions with limited research opportunities on campus

Applications

Apply to the Plant-STEM REU through ETAP.

Program Overview

Healthy plants are essential for our life. Participants in the STEM REU will focus on how interactions between plants, microbes and soil work to create a productive plant. Association of plants with organisms that act like probiotics are important for plant and soil health. Examples of the REU projects include:

REU participants will use multidisciplinary research approaches to investigate how healthy plants, soils, and microbiomes support sustainable agriculture practices and food security. This interdisciplinary research will occur in faculty labs and field sites in Biology, Biological & Chemical Engineering, Plants Soils & Climate, and Nutrition Dietetics & Food Science.

Example research projects include:

  • Influence of soil management on plant / microbe health, nutrient cycling, and symbiotic relations;
  • How belowground communities shape aboveground interactions;
  • Optimizing plant nutrition in regenerative controlled environment agriculture systems;
  • Utilizing synthetic biology to monitor and respond to plant-microbiome interactions;
  • Identifying phytochemicals associated with maple tree tapping stress defense;
  • Exploring potential applications of extremophile microbes associated with plants and soils;
  • Targeted micronutrient delivery to plants and their mixed-microbial biofilms.

Participants will have access to advanced instrumentation, including scanning electron microscopy, laser confocal microscopy, mass spectroscopy, and micro-computed tomography to learn about molecular processes supporting healthy plants, microbes, and soil. Students will gain formal training in ethics and responsible conduct of research. Participants will see the relevance of their research to industry and broader STEM disciplines through industry tours and meet USU alumni working in bioscience careers.

Questions? Contact the Plant-STEM REU Site Director: Dr. David Britt, david.britt@usu.edu

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