Undergraduate Summer Internship Program at Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University
Application Deadline: February 1, 2009

Program Description:

  • Eight week internships in plant biology, plant pathology, or weed science
  • Gain experience in conducting research on special projects
  • Additional programs will be offered related to laboratory safety, graduate education, and career opportunities
  • Benefits include housing, assistance with transportation costs, and $3,600 stipend
  • Starts on June 1, 2009 and runs through July 31, 2009

Eligibility:

  • Must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident
  • Completed two years college level study in one of the life sciences by June 2009
  • Minimum grade point average of 3.0.

Photo Gallery:

Visit our photo gallery of previous years summer internship students and their projects.

Projects for Summer 2009:

More information will be posted about these projects by Jan 12, 2009

Researchers Projects
Jody Banks

How Does Plant Sperm Find the Egg?
All plants have a separate and tiny gametophyte generation responsible for producing gametes. In ferns and many other plants, the sperm have flagella and must swim from the male gametophyte and find the female gametophyte. Once it finds the female, sperm must then swim and fuse to the egg. How does the female gametophyte and egg attract the sperm? Are there specific chemicals emitted? If so, what are they? How does a sperm cell respond to these signals and change its direction of movement? These are questions that could be addressed by a summer intern.

Janna Beckerman Resistance is Futile
Understanding apple scab, fungicide resistance, and resistance breakdown in the fungal pathogen, Venturia inaequalis.
Nick Carpita Functional Genomics of the Maize Cell Wall
Step 1 in the improvement of bioenergy crops.
Nancy Emery The Ecology, Evolution, and Restoration of the Tallgrass Prairie
Bill Johnson The Wonderful World of Weeds
The estimated average monetary loss caused by weeds in field crops grown in the U.S. is over 4 billion dollars each year. Weed management expenses are one of the largest variable costs incurred by growers annually. Weeds growing on cropland are like crop plants themselves, drawing upon the soil and air for essential elements. Production of food and energy for humans and livestock and the economic well being of U.S. citizens depends heavily on effective, integrated management of weeds.
Guri Johal Genetics and Genomics of Stresses in Corn
Robert Pruitt How Safe Are Those Vegetables Anyway?
Mary Alice Webb

How Plants Make Protective Structures with Calcium
Many plants accumulate calcium salts, such as calcium oxalate and calcium carbonate, to fortify their defenses against herbivores, animals that eat plants. My research looks at cellular factors that influence the formation of these calcium deposits in plants, focusing on needle-shaped crystals of calcium oxalate that form in many plants, as well as calcified hairs that develop in the epidermis of some plants.

Application:

You will need Adobe Reader to view and print the application form (below).
Application deadline: February 1, 2009. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance on or before March 1, 2009.

Click here to download and print the Application Form       Get Acrobat Reader

Inquiries:

Dr. Peter Goldsbrough, Department Head
Department of Botany and Plant Pathology
Purdue University
915 W. State Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054

Phone: (765) 494-4615
E-mail:

Graduate Programs: "Your Door to Discovery"

For information about graduate education opportunities in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University, please visit our web page: http://www.btny.purdue.edu/grad

If you would like to tell us about yourself and your career interests so we can provide you with more specific information, we recommend that you visit the Apply Yourself web site and complete a short form.

Other Job Opportunities Available at Purdue University