REU opportunity for studying responses of plant-microbe interactions to climate change in grasslands
A summer Research Experience for Undergraduates position is available to work on an NSF sponsored project investigating responses of plant-microbe interactions to climate change in native and disturbed grassland communities in Wyoming. This project examines community level rhizosphere processes driving ecosystem responses to elevated CO2 and warming. Research utilizes a wide variety of stable isotope and molecular techniques and combines the study of the responses of plant and microbial communities structure and function. Questions include the role of stoichiometry as well as invasive species on nutrient and C cycling responses to climate change factors. Field research takes place at an ongoing, state-of-the-art, manipulative climate change experiment in grassland near Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Prairie Heating and CO2 Enrichment (PHACE) experiment. The PHACE experiment is one of only a few in the world where both atmospheric CO2 and temperature are manipulated. The REU scholar will work in the laboratory of Dr. Elise Pendall at the University of Wyoming in Laramie and will collaborate with researchers from Colorado State University and the USDA Agricultural Research Station in Fort Collins, Colorado. The REU scholar will have the option to participate in the design and execution of field and/or laboratory experiments and will be jointly mentored by Dr. Pendall and a group of graduate student and postdoctoral researchers. The selected student will become familiarized with state- of-the-art compound-specific, stable isotope experimental and analytical techniques. A generous weekly stipend is available for 12-14 weeks, preferably starting in early May. Eligibility requires enrollment in an undergraduate degree program in biology, ecology or soil science with expected graduation not before Dec. 2011. For more information on the project and the field experiment visit Dr. Elise Pendalls website: https://sites.google.com/site/pendalllab/ and the PHACE experiments website: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm?docid=16756 To apply, submit a resume, one page letter of interest, and transcripts to Elise Pendall ([email protected]) and Yolima Carrillo ([email protected]) by April 1, 2011. Please contact Yolima Carrillo or Elise Pendall for questions. NSF requires that participants are U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. and its territories.
