Student scientific program gets boost from two national foundations

April 11, 2012 - PRLog -- ST. LOUIS, MO – The National Science Foundation (NSF) and The Hearst Foundations collectively awarded $711,656 to support research training for undergraduate students in The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center’s Summer Internship program. Students will have the opportunity through the funding to participate in a world class research environment in the area of plant and life science to obtain valuable research skills. The Center’s sought after Internship program is managed by two Principal Investigators, Dr. Leslie Hicks and Dr. Sona Pandey, and provides students with insight into the personal qualities of a good researcher, the steps to take on the road to becoming a scientist, and the broader implications of scientific discovery.

The NSF REU Site award supports research training for twelve undergraduate students for 11 weeks, during the summers of 2012-2016.  Students conduct a research project under the guidance of senior scientists at the Center in the areas of cell biology, molecular biology, structural biology, biochemistry, microbiology, chemistry, computational biology, bioinformatics, developmental biology, genetics, genomics, or plant pathology.

The Hearst Foundations one year grant of $50,000 expands the Center’s Internship program by approximately five students and will allow them to experience all aspects of modern scientific research, from design to experimentation to reporting. The research component of the Internship program is supplemented with additional educational and training activities including field trips and workshops in proteomics, microscopy, and tissue culture and transformation.

“These grants help expand our program by supporting additional interns to engage in an international research environment with a diverse set of research areas,” Dr. Leslie Hicks, Principle Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.  “Our program hosts students from universities across the nation to gain hands-on experience in the lab and learn the use of a variety of technologies for research.”

The Center will be accepting applicants for the 2013 Summer Internship Program in November.  Roughly 125 interns have passed through the program since its inception in 2001.  The Center has been an NSF REU site since 2003.  

About The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Research at the Danforth Center will feed the hungry and improve human health, preserve and renew the environment, and enhance the St. Louis region and Missouri as a world center for plant science.  The Center’s work is funded through competitive grants and contract revenue from many sources, including the U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Agency for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates and Howard Buffett Foundations.  

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center invites you to visit its website, www.danforthcenter.org; featuring interactive information on the Center's research, scientists, news and public education outreach. RSS feeds and the brand new "Roots & Shoots" blog allow visitors to keep up to date with Center's current operations and areas of research.

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About The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a not-for-profit research institute with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Research at the Danforth Center will feed the hungry and improve human health, preserve and renew the environment, and enhance the St. Louis region and Missouri as a world center for plant science. The Center’s work is funded through competitive grants and contract revenue from many sources, including the U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Agency for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates and Howard Buffett Foundations.