Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship 2005 Recipients

CATEGORY A
Research and Doctoral Universities

Kelli Davies, University of Arizona, Tucson
Project: Post-embryonic roles of TOAD1 and TOAD2, leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases in Arabidopsis thaliana
Mentor: Frans E. Tax, University of Arizona, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology

I am so happy to be selected as a SURF recipient this year! It is really exciting to receive acknowledgment and support from ASPB for my research endeavors, especially at this early point in my academic career. I am eager to begin working on my research full-time this summer. I want to express my gratitude to the American Society of Plant Biologists for providing this unique opportunity to aspiring plant biologists such as myself. I am also grateful for all the help provided by my mentor, Dr. Frans Tax, as well as Michael Nodine and all the other wonderful people in my lab.

Bradley Dotson, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Project: Analysis of hormonal regulation in dab4-1, a mutant in Arabidopsis thaliana with delayed abscission, male sterility, delayed meristem arrest, and strong apical dominance
Mentor: Sara E. Patterson, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Department of Horticulture

I would like to thank ASPB for this wonderful opportunity. I am so glad to be accepted by ASPB. This is a great milestone in my professional development. Plant genetics and biology have been a passion of mine ever since I came to Madison. I am planning to further my career after graduation from the University of Wisconsin– Madison in the acquisition of a Ph.D. ASPB can only help in this endeavor. I am humbled by ASPB’s generous gift. I only hope to repay the research community with my tireless efforts over this summer, as the work I do will pour indefinitely into my senior research experiments.

Susan Christy Sanchez Monzon, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Project: Activation of red form I algal Rubisco from Plocamium cartilagineum
Mentor: David T. Hanson, University of New Mexico, Biology Department

I’m so honored to be a recipient of the 2005 ASPB Summer Undergraduate Fellowship. This is a tremendous commitment that will allow me to expand my horizons in plant biology. This summer will be full of learning and mentoring as I work toward reaching the goal of higher learning.

Okello Mukua, Principia College, Elsah, Illinois (note: Okello Mukua is an international student from Kenya)
Project: Characterization of genes central to phenylpropanoid metabolism in Rhizophora mangle
Mentor: John Cheeseman, University of Illinois, Plant Biology Department, Urbana

Wow! What a privilege to be one of the great 10! I cannot be more excited. Thanks to ASPB not only for selecting me for the fellowship, but also for recognizing my research efforts at this early stage in my education. Thanks to my mentor too, for supporting my ambitions all through. It is with great honor that I accept this fellowship and look forward to an engaging summer of scholarship!

Bryce Seifert, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
Project: Identification of new mutant lines in Medicago truncatula
Mentor: Julia Frugoli, Clemson University, Genetics, Biochemistry and Life Science Studies

I am thrilled to be selected for such a prestigious award. I cannot wait to continue my research with Medicago truncatula and show my experience and discoveries in 2006 in Boston. Once again, thank you!

Patrick C. Still, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond
Project: Nitrogen starvation and the regulation of symbiotic gland development in Gunnera
Mentor: Wan-Ling Chiu, Virginia Commonwealth University, Biology Department

I am grateful and thrilled to have the opportunity to start my career with such a distinguished research fellowship. Next year’s ASPB conference will be an honor and a joy to attend.

Laura Wayne, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse
Project: Characterization of a guard-cell-specific enhancer trap line of Arabidopsis thaliana
Mentor: Larry Smart, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Thank you, ASPB, for awarding me with the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship and acknowledging my hard work and dedication. This fellowship will provide me with the opportunity to continue my research and discovery, preparing me for what lies ahead in graduate school. I am ready to dive into my research project this summer and immerse myself in the world of researching, learning, and discovering one small aspect of how plants function. I am thrilled to become a part of your scientific community.

Honorable Mention CATEGORY A

Ngoc-anh Hoang, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Project: The SCARFACE gene encodes an ARF-GAP: Does this regulate PIN localization?
Mentor: Leslie E. Sieburth, University of Utah, Biology Department

Dyllon Ivy Martini, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Project: Copper delivery for photosynthesis: Biological roles of two plastid metallo-chaperones
Mentor: Marinus Pilon, Colorado State University, Biology Department

Mallory Ann Havens, Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois
Project: RT-PCR analysis of gene expression in soybeans grown in elevated carbon dioxide and ozone atmospheres
Mentor: Robert G. Ewy, Knox College, Department of Biology

I was thrilled and honored to have been given the opportunity to conduct this research. Receiving notification of the award made my day.

Mohammad Shuja Shafqat, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Project: Determining parent– offspring distances in oak forests by DNA fingerprinting
Mentor: William Terzaghi, Wilkes University, Biology Department

I am so grateful to ASPB for giving me this opportunity. I hope this summer of research brings me closer to my goals. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me in all my pursuits, especially my parents. Research has been such a large part of my life, and I hope to continue it as long as I can.

Sesh Sundararaman, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts
Project: 3-D Imaging of cyanobacteria through electron microscope tomography rationale
Mentor: Claire S. Ting, Williams College, Biology Department

I am honored to have been chosen to receive the ASPB Surf Fellowship. It is exciting to have the opportunity to pursue my own research in understanding how differences in cyanobacte-ria genomes manifest themselves in cellular ultrastructure. I am thankful for the opportunity I have been given and look forward to the continuation of my research as well as attending next year’s ASPB-sponsored meeting.

Honorable Mention CATEGORY B

Emily Harper, Hope College, Holland, Michigan
Mentor: Debbie Swarthout, Hope College, Biology Department
Project: The use of plant–fungal interactions as a model system in understanding complex biological processes