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• Summer 2008 Internships - there are 6 internships available for college students in the NPA
• Summer 2008 Apprenticeships - there are 3 apprenticeships available for high school students in the NPA

WHAT ARE SUMMER INTERNSHIPS WITH THE AGRICULTLURAL RESEARCH SERVICE?

Internships are a wonderful opportunity for talented college students who are pursuing agriculturally-related majors to gain hands-on experience working side by side with scientists in laboratory and field settings for eight weeks during the summer. The Agricultural Research Service is the principal research agency in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Students earn an excellent wage while also learning about ARS careers.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE?

1. Any college student who is a U.S. citizen or has permanent residency; and
2. Has completed at least 30 semester credits of post-high school education and is currently enrolled in a post-high school/college certificate or degree program; and
3. Has earned at least six credit hours in science or math, or has 6 months of full time related work experience; and
4. Plans to continue their education in the fall of 2008 (need to supply proof of enrollment).

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

1. There are six internships available for the summer of 2008.  Internships are located in Brookings, SD; Fargo, ND; Fort Collins, CO; Lincoln, NE; Mandan, ND; and Sidney, MT.
2. Students interested in applying for any of the following six internships must contact the listed Mentor Scientists directly (email or telephone) for instructions on submitting an application, application deadlines, starting and ending dates, pay, schedule, etc.

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AVAILABLE INTERNSHIPS:

Location: ­NCARL Brookings SD (NCARL-North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory)
Mentor Scientist: Dr. Kenton Dashiell
Mentor’s Telephone Number: 605-693-5201
Mentor’s Email Address: Kenton.Dashiell@ars.usda.gov

4-14-2008 - This position has been filled.

Description of Internship:
This internship will work on an-going research project investigating methods of improving natural resistance to corn rootworm in corn. Before the internship begins several field trials designed to evaluate different corn germplasm for resistance will be planted. During the time when the intern will be at NCARL we will 1)make preparations for digging the roots, 2) dig the roots, 3)wash the roots) 4) rate the roots, 5) enter the data 6)analyze the data and 7) prepare a brief report. The intern will be a member of the team that does all of these steps that are required to complete the research. The intern will be mentored by me and will work with Dave Schneider. I will meet with the intern at least once a day at about 9:55 just before the morning break. Some days this meeting may last 20-30 minutes if there are questions that the intern has or questions that I have that need to be answered. Other days we will just have a brief discussion on the work that is being done on that day. During the time of data analysis and preparing reports the intern will spend more time with me. The intern will present a seminar to all the staff at the lab during their last week.

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Location: USDA-ARS Northern Crop Science Lab, Sunflower Unit, Fargo ND
Mentor Scientist: Dr. Tom Gulya
Mentor’s Telephone Number: 701-239-1316
Mentor’s Email Address: Thomas.Gulya@ars.usda.gov

5-13-2008 - This position has been filled.

Description of Internship:
The intern will be exposed to the entire range of sunflower pathology research, and will learn about how we evaluate wild and cultivated sunflowers for resistance to rust, downy mildew, Sclerotinia head rot and stalk rot. Since our field research plots are located at several university research stations, and on seed company land, this person will have the opportunity to interact with university and private seed company researchers at five to seven locations in ND and MN. The person will participate in all aspects of our field work, from organizing seeds, to planting, inoculation, evaluation and data analysis.

The intern will be assigned to a research topic that s/he could complete after some initial training. The topic is the influence of crop roots on the mode of germination by Sclerotinia sclerotia. The results of the study on sclerotial germination as influenced by crop root exudates can be presented at two meetings: the annual Sunflower Research Workshop, attended by ~ 100 university and private researchers, and the annual meeting of the USDA Sclerotinia Initiative. If the results show a significant difference between sunflower cultivars, and thus explain a component of resistance/susceptibility, this may be sufficient to submit a proposal to the Initiative to fund a new project. My philosophy on mentoring is that the more a person learns not only on how to do a task, but the expected outcome and ramifications of the research, that person will have a greater appreciation as well as understanding of their efforts.

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Location: NPA, Fort Collins, CO, Agricultural Systems Research Unit
Mentor Scientist: Dr. Tim Green                                         
Mentor’s Telephone Number:  (970) 492-7335
Mentor’s Email Address: tim.green@ars.usda.gov

5-13-2008 - This position has been filled.

Description of Internship:
The intern will work directly with a mentor (Dr. Green) and co-mentor (Dr. Liwang Ma) on the sampling design, field sample collection, laboratory processing, and analyses of soils for nutrient contents and root growth, at selected locations where detailed soil water dynamics and plant uptake of water and N are already being monitored. The samples will be collected from a cooperator’s wheat field near Severance, Colorado to complement ongoing data collection for use in spatial analyses and computer modeling of agricultural systems. The intern will also work closely with technical staff in the field and laboratory to learn sampling methods, laboratory techniques, and software for data analysis. Basic knowledge of the Microsoft Windows operating system and Office software are desirable. The intern will work closely with the co-mentors to understand how data will be used to test the RZWQM2 model for nutrient transport and fate in soils, including crop growth modeling. The intern will learn basic model setup before preparing climate, soil and management data for model input.

After completing laboratory analyses, the intern will create scientific plots of the data in terms of statistical properties and spatial distributions. Spatial mapping will be completed with the aid of ARS technical staff, as needed. Finally, the intern will report all findings orally in a 20-minute presentation to the Unit (advertised building-wide) and in a written report comprised of the methods learned and summary of the spatial data, including graphs and table created. The oral and written reports will benefit the intern as standard methods of scientific communication that can be documented in a resume, the mentors in terms of a clear summary of findings, and future model users in terms of a test data set.

Application instructions:  Send the following information to Dr. Tim Green (tim.green@ars.usda.gov) by March 28.

Applicants must provide a statement of interest (1 page), resumé, a transcript of grades (unofficial transcripts are acceptable for the initial application), and a list of 2 or 3 references who can address your academic and/or work experience (name, telephone, and email address if available).  Top candidates will be interviewed based on these materials.

The selected person must provide an application form OF-612 and OF-306 (download from http://www.opm.gov/forms/html/of.asp), proof of enrollment, a certified transcript.  These materials may be submitted with the application, but are not required initially.

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Location: Lincoln, NE
Mentor Scientist submitting proposal: Dr. Deanna Funnell
Mentor’s Telephone Number: 402-472-9099
Mentor’s Email Address:  Deanna.Funnell@ars.usda.gov

5-13-2008 - This position has been filled.

Description of Internship:
This project will investigate Saprophytic fluorescent Pseudomonas, bacteria that associate with plant roots and provide benefits to plants. There is significant evidence that at least some members of soil-inhabiting Pseudomonas are capable of fighting and preventing plant diseases. Recently, fluorescent Pseudomonas have been identified from sorghum field soils from two locations in Nebraska. These bacteria were isolated in association with roots and adjacent soil of seedlings of wheat and of two different sorghum genotypes, Redlan and RTx433. To my knowledge, this is the first report of Phl-producers isolated from Nebraska soils and associated with sorghum. I propose the hypothesis that PhlD RFLP patterns are unique to Pseudomonas isolated from sorghum field soils in Nebraska. Results of this project will be of great interest to other researchers in this field. If the hypothesis is proven correct, then new PhlD alleles will have been identified. If the PhlD genes isolated from Nebraska sorghum soils share genetic similarities with Pseudomonas isolated from other plant species and from areas outside of Nebraska, then this will provide basic information about the genetics and ecology of this important group of bacteria. If one or more new PhlD alleles are identified, and as time permits, representative Pseudomonas isolates carrying new alleles will be further characterized using two standard methods for speciation of bacteria. Carbohydrate utilization will be determined using the Biolog^® system (Hayward, CA). RFLP analyses of the 16S rDNA region (Amplified rDNA Restriction Analysis or ARDRA) also will be conducted.

After adequate training on scientific methodologies, the intern will be expected to organize and conduct experiments independently. They will be expected to thoroughly record procedures and results and to develop a data base of results. Toward the end of the eight-week period, the intern will be expected to prepare a power-point presentation giving a brief introduction, including methodologies, a summary of results and conclusions and speculations. This will be presented in a relatively formal manner to a small group of interested students and researchers. Dr. Funnell will provide instructions of scientific methods and help with organization of research time, and will also provide guidance/assistance on analyses of results, on preparation and on the organization of a power point presentation.

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Location: Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, Mandan, ND
Mentor Scientist: Dr. Eric Scholljegerdes
Mentor’s Telephone Number: 701-667-3056
Mentor’s Email Address: Eric.Scholljegerdes@ARS.USDA.GOV

4-14-2008 - This position has been filled.

Description of Internship:
The intern will be in charge of completing a preliminary study focused on evaluating the impact of fat supplements on ruminal protein degradability in beef cattle grazing summer pasture. This is an important area not well understood by ruminant nutritionists. Specifically, supplemental fats have been shown to reduce forage intake. A reduction in dietary intake has been shown to reduce ruminal fluid passage rate and subsequently increase the amount of dietary protein degraded in the rumen.

This project will expose the intern to a wide variety of hands-on lab-based and field-based research experiences. These include animal handling and nutritional care, data collection, laboratory analysis, and interpretation and summary of data. The intern will start off the summer by helping Dr. Scholljegerdes formulate three (3) supplements with a known quantity of ruminally degradable protein and fat. For this study we will use six (6) ruminally cannulated beef cows that will be randomly allotted to one of these three treatments. Throughout the trial, the intern will be responsible for feeding the supplements once a day. Additionally, the intern will assist with evacuating ruminal contents, gathering cattle and collecting and processing masticate, returning ruminal contents to the animals, evacuating ruminal contents from the animals, collecting rumen fluid for evaluation of in vitro dry matter digestibility.   These data will allow us to determine the rate and extent at which protein was degraded within the rumen.

The intern will be trained to conduct various laboratory techniques and analysis associated with this project. Laboratory analysis include, dry matter and ash, neutral detergent fiber, crude protein, titanium dioxide, and cobalt. In addition, the intern will prepare and present a presentation summarizing our findings to the laboratory staff.  

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Location: NPARL, Sidney MT
Mentor Scientist submitting proposal: Dr. Robert B. Srygley
Mentor’s Telephone Number: (406) 433-9420
Mentor’s Email Address: robert.srygley@ars.usda.gov

6-2-2008 - This position has been filled.

Description of Internship:
The intern will work on a research project investigating the effect of cannibalism by Mormon crickets on the insect’s immune system. In choice tests, migrating Mormon crickets seek salt and protein over carbohydrates, indicating a deficiency in protein that cannibalism may alleviate. However cannibalism may come at a cost due to the insect’s need to defend itself against the potential introduction of foreign pathogens in the cannibalized carcass. The intern will work closely with the Mentoring Scientist and Biological Technician. The intern will help in field work to collect Mormon crickets in western Montana, and will learn to maintain healthy Mormon cricket stocks in the laboratory. The intern will learn to measure insect immunity to disease with biochemical assays of the hemolymph and quantification of visible responses by the immune system, such as rod encapsulation and circulating hemocytes. The intern will be expected to present a short seminar of 15-30 minutes summarizing the findings.

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The Research Apprenticeship Program gives high school students interested in pursuing agriculturally-related occupations the chance to work with scientists for eight weeks during the summer. Selected students work with research scientists and other professionals in the Agricultural Research Service, the principal research agency in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Students earn a good wage while also learning about careers and future employment prospects available in the ARS.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE?

1. Any high school student (including high school seniors) who is a U.S. citizen, or is a citizen of certain countries in alliance with the United States (must have permanent residency); and
2. Is at least 16 years of age; and
3. Is planning to continue their education (either high school or a post-secondary program) in the fall of 2008.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

1. There are three apprenticeships available: Fort Collins, CO; Miles City, MT; and Sidney, MT.
2. Students interested in applying for an apprenticeship must contact the listed Mentor Scientist directly (email or telephone) for instructions on submitting an application, application deadlines, starting and ending dates, pay, schedule, etc.

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AVAILABLE APPRENTICESHIPS:

Location: Fort Collins, CO (Water Management Research Unit)
Mentor Scientist:  Dr. Walter C. Bausch
Mentor’s Telephone Number: (970) 492-7411
Mentor’s Email Address: walter.bausch@ars.usda.gov

5-13-2008 - This position has been filled.

Description of Apprenticeship:
Sustainable crop production under limited irrigation is a primary agricultural issue in the Great Plains. Crops irrigated with limited water supplies will inherently undergo periods of water stress. Consequently, plant water deficit measurements are required to assess the degree of water stress imposed on a crop at various growth stages to effectively manage limited water supplies to produce the most crop per drop of available water. The apprentice’s work assignment will entail taking various plant-based measurements at various growth stages to determine the degree of water stress imposed by different levels of applied irrigation water. Measurements will vary from direct manual techniques to electronic measurements that indirectly indicate a parameter of interest. Some of these may include leaf water potential using a plant water status console, stomatal conductance from leaf porometer measurements, leaf area from light measurements above and under the crop canopy, and canopy temperature measured with an infrared thermometer. Thus, the apprentice will be exposed to a wide variety of measurement techniques, instrumentation, and data reduction and analysis.

Mentoring will consist of what, when, why, and how activities will be performed, and will provide guidance in preparing the power point presentation. The apprentice will work with the mentoring scientist and technician in the field to learn protocols required for making good measurements and gaining hands-on experience. The apprentice will be responsible to make one or more of these measurements. The apprentice will present results (written and/or oral) comparing remotely sensed canopy temperature data and at least one of the direct water stress measurements.

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Location: Fort Keogh LARRL, Miles City, MT
Mentor Scientist submitting proposal: Dr. Tom Geary
Mentor’s Telephone Number: 406-874-8215
Mentor’s Email Address: tom.geary@ars.usda.gov

5-21-2008 - This position has been filled.

Description of Apprenticeship:
The Apprentice will receive hands on training in laboratory procedures including assistance with biological sample preparation, hormone assays, and media preparation, field training in cattle handling, ultrasound evaluation of ovarian structures and pregnancy, body temperature collection, blood collection, microscopy, embryo collection, recovery, evaluation, and transfer. This work involves the investigation for a large embryo transfer experiment that will include single embryo collection and transfer from donor and to recipient cows that ovulate either large or small follicles to identify factors controlling fertility. The apprentice will receive “hands on” training with each of the above procedures and will be assigned the special project of evaluating donor and recipient cow body temperature at the time of embryo recovery and transfer in comparison to embryo quality/morphology and pregnancy establishment, including thermometer calibration, data collection, input, analysis, and summary. The apprentice will prepare a final report and will orally present a summary of his/her findings to the staff. The apprentice will also be asked to evaluate this educational opportunity and this evaluation will be used to improve this experience. Assistance will be provided at each step, but the apprentice will have responsibility for this component of the project. We anticipate this dataset to include approximately 340 embryo donor cows and 220 embryo recipient cows this summer. Because of the diversified staff at Fort Keogh, the apprentice will be expected to spend a few days assisting each other scientist/laboratory at this location with their research in order to provide a broader educational experience.

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Location: Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory, ASRU, Sidney, MT
Mentor Scientist submitting proposal: Dr. Andrew W. Lenssen
Mentor’s Telephone Number: 406-433-9471
Mentor’s Email Address: andy.lenssen@ars.usda.gov

5-14-2008 - This position has been filled.

Description of Apprenticeship:
The Apprentice’s primary duties will be with the “Competitiveness of Winter Cereals with Annual Weeds” project, and will include identification and quantification of annual weeds associated with dryland crops, including seedling stage IDs, cereal crop phenological staging, soil sampling for nutrient and water determination, plant sample weighing, grinding, and preparation for N and fiber analyses, data entry with Excel, and data quality control. The Apprentice will also prepare a two-page written report that includes trial justification, methodologies, results, and implications for winter cereal crop management, construct a poster presentation, and prepare and present a 10 minute oral presentation during the Froid Conservation District Farm Field Day farm tour. The Apprentice will receive guidance and assistance from the Mentor and the Information Specialist throughout the Apprenticeship.

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