| 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:
This project investigates how molecules produced by a beneficial bacterium influences the virulence and gene expression profile of the rice pathogen Burkholderia glumae. The student will help establish a protocol to enrich bacterial cells from infected rice panicles and perform RNA extraction from both in planta samples and in vitro bacterial cultures treated with the secretome. RNA-seq and RT-qPCR analyses will be used to identify differentially expressed genes, offering hands-on training in plant–microbe interactions, bacterial molecular biology, and transcriptomic analysis.
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.