| Faculty Advisor |
Clemencia Rojas
|
|---|---|
| Contact Email | crojas2@unl.edu |
| Advisor College: |
Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
|
| Potential UCARE Research Position? |
Yes! Student(s) must apply to UCARE by February deadline.
|
| Paid or Volunteer |
Paid by UCARE Stipend or Volunteer
|
| Hours Per Week |
10-20
|
| Acceptable Undergraduate Majors |
Any!
|
Opportunity Description:
Environmental bacteria produce antimicrobial molecules to compete with other microorganisms in the environment. We identified an environmental bacterium that has antimicrobial activity against bacterial pathogens causing diseases in numerous plants. This project focuses on identifying antimicrobial molecules produced by the environmental bacterium Pseudomonas protegens PBL3 that suppress plant bacterial pathogens. Research activities will include culturing bacteria, isolating plasmids, performing colony PCR for mutant screening, producing bacterial secretome, and conducting antimicrobial bioassays. Preferred skills include an interest in microbiology, molecular biology, or biotechnology.
Faculty Advisor Mentoring Philosophy:
Undergraduate students will have a dedicated mentor who will demonstrate each one of the procedures and will work side-by-side with the student until student gains proficiency to start conducting independent experiments. To gain sense of belonging to the lab, it is expected that student engages in other laboratory activities such as lab meetings and journal clubs as well as social activities such as birthday celebrations. Faculty mentor will meet with student the first day to define expectations and introduce students to lab culture. Faculty mentor will schedule bi-weekly meetings with student to evaluate progress, provide feedback and plan future steps.