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Undergraduate Research Assistantship Program (URAP)

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UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP PROGRAM (URAP)

DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE

The Undergraduate Research Assistantship Program (URAP) provides several resources for undergraduates interested in research at UF. For undergraduates interested in conducting research, URAP helps undergraduates to find volunteer opportunities in research projects they are interested in by posting graduate student and faculty research advertisements on this website. For undergraduates currently doing research, URAP supports the BSC 3911 Entering Research course for undergraduate researchers, which aims to enhance the undergraduate research experience by focusing on critical communication skills for success in research, and broadly transferable professional skills. In addition, URAP and BGSA funds and provides two opportunities for undergraduates to gain money for their research projects by submitting scientific research proposals. Finally, URAP organizes an annual symposium exclusively for undergraduates conducting research where students can present their work and participate in a community of researchers at the University of Florida.

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URAP Undergraduate Research Projects

Cell biology studies on actin depolymerizing factor

Contact: Paris Grey – phgrey@ufl.edu
Lab/Collection: Oppenheimer Lab
Faculty: Dr. David Oppenheimer

Project Description: Our lab focuses on understanding how the assembly and disassembly of the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons are regulated. Cytoskeleton dynamics underlie many fundamental cellular processes such as control of cell shape, cell movement, and membrane trafficking. Specifically, we study a family of proteins that control the activity of actin depolymerizing factor (ADF). Although our lab conducts mostly basic research, we are aware of the impact of our research on problems in human health.

We use molecular, genetic, biochemical, computational, and cell biological methods and approaches. Specific techniques include, but are not limited to, PCR, confocal microscopy, cloning, aseptic techniques, bacterial transformation, restriction digests, plasmid isolation, DNA and protein gel electrophoresis, genomic DNA isolation, RNA isolation, protein expression, pull-down assays, yeast-two hybrid screens, and spectrophotometry,

Required Skills: The available research project was designed for an undergraduate at the first-year or sophomore level student Previous research experience is not necessary but both a strong desire to learn and a willingness to work hard is essential. At the start, the research focus will be to acquire the fundamental molecular / cellular skills necessary for advanced research, followed by creating and optimizing heterologous protein expression clones.

For more information, or to apply for the research position, please fill out an application here: http://bit.ly/1SDUzRf

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Insect eyespots project

Contact: Chelsea Skojec – chelseaskoj@ufl.edu
Lab/Collection: Kawahara Lab/McGuire Collection
Faculty:
 Akito Kawahara

Project Description: Undergraduates will learn how to categorize, measure, and analyze different eyespot morphology using digital museum images with the computer program ImageJ. Students will gain experience in working with raw photos and ImageJ to generate data. They will also become more familiar with insect anatomy and taxonomy.

Required Skills: Familiarity with Excel, basic insect anatomy.

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Genome size variation in extinct Caribbean rodents

Contact: Lazaro Willian Vinola Lopez – lvinolalopez@ufl.edu
Lab/Collection: Jonathan Bloch Lab/Dickinson Hall/Vertebrate Paleontology
Faculty: Jonathan Bloch

Project Description: The goal of this project is to understand how genome size change across different living and extinct species of rodents in the Caribbean. In order to obtain this information we will be doing paleohistological thin sections of the bones and estimating genome size based on cell size. Students should include a CV in their email/application. If students are interested in some other aspect of vertebrate paleontology, they can reach out as there is always a diverse number of projects.

Required Skills: All the skills necessary can be learn in the lab.

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Neuroscience of ants

Contact: Hua Yan – hua.yan@ufl.edu
Other Project Mentors: Kayli Sieber – kayli.sieber@ufl.edu
Lab/Collections: Yan Lab
Faculty: Hua Yan

Project Description: We are broadly interested in social insects, namely ants. We use the ant model Harpegnathos saltator (the Indian jumping ant) to study an array of interesting biological fields, with a strong focus on social behavior and neuroscience, chemosensation (especially olfaction), and cellular and molecular biology. Ants provide a unique opportunity to study these fields, as they possess genetic and behavioral characteristics that are not common to other model organisms. Students joining our projects will participate in maintaining ant colonies we keep in our lab and will be directly involved in our lab’s experiments and benchwork.

SkillsStudents joining our lab should possess strong interests in molecular biology, animal behavior and neuroscience, and insect biology, along with a desire to pursue a career in biology and research. We intend to fully train incoming students, so previous experience is not required. However, we encourage students to share any previous research experience, relevant coursework, and specific research interests with us upon applying. During their work, students will develop essential skills needed to do experiments in a molecular biology setting and will also gain experience in maintaining animals for experimentation.

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Pollinators of soapberry

Contact: Alan Franck – francka@floridamuseum.ufl.edu
Lab/Collections: UF Herbarium
Faculty: Alan Franck

Project Description: A survey of the insect visitors to the flowers of soapberry (genus Sapindus), which can be found on the Gainesville UF campus in several areas. This tree flowers around mid-May to early June. Each tree probably has 1000s of flowers. The tree only flowers once per year. Very little knowledge has been gathered concerning what insects visit their flowers. This project aims to demonstrate the importance of this tree to insects, and the value of the pollinators to the soapberry tree.

Skills: Observation of the tree for several days will be necessary, including photography of the insects and capturing insects with nets. Ecological experience and insect identification are the main skills developed.

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Antigenic cartography of SARS-CoV-2 viruses

Contact: Derek Cummings – datc@ufl.edu
Other Mentors: Matt Hitchings – mhitchings@ufl.edu, Cristina Hladish – chladish@ufl.edu
(Interested students should contact all three mentors.)
Lab/Collections: UF Infectious Disease Dynamics Lab
Faculty: Derek Cummings

Project Description: This project would be a systematic review of immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in humans that have been published. Students working on this project would work in a team to identify relevant literature, extract data from published papers and reanalyze data. The intent of the project is to use methods used in influenza, dengue, and other viruses to quantify the relationship of SARS-CoV-2 viruses as characterized by human immune responses.

Skills: We will teach students how to perform a systematic review and skills to organize, clean, and analyze data.

Contacting Potential Research Advisors

General Tips

Reaching out to a potential research advisor can be daunting and you might not know exactly what to say! Here are some tips of what to include in an email inquiring about conducting research with someone.

  1. Subject: Make sure to include a professional subject line to your email.
  2. Introductions: First make sure to address who you are emailing! Your first line should be something like: “Dear Dr. Einstein”, make sure you are using their last-name. Don’t begin with “Hello” or “Professor” without specifically addressing the advisor for that project. Follow this up by introducing yourself; make sure to include your name, major, and year. If you have prior research experience, explain that in one or two sentences. This will provide your future advisor with some details about the skills that you have or want to improve. Additionally, if you have specific goals for this experience provide some context.
  3. Statement of Interest: Write a couple of sentences about your scientific interests (in general) and your interest in their project. Spend some time looking over what your potential advisor has worked on previously- most faculty have websites and CVs (curriculum vitae, an academic resume) which can help you get acquainted with what they do and what their interests are. They should have a list of publications; try to spend some time with these papers (even if they may be difficult to read!). Taking time to read your potential research advisor’s work shows that you are willing to put in the effort needed for a research project. Here is the current listing of faculty [https://biology.ufl.edu/people/faculty/] and graduate students [https://biology.ufl.edu/people/gradstudents/] in the Biology Department; you can find links to websites on these listings.Do not send the exact same email to multiple advisors, you can develop a general draft, but take some time to make it specific referencing a research topic/paper/etc.
  4. Make yourself accessible: Lay out some days and times that you are free in the next couple of weeks, asking for a time to meet about a potential role in a project.
  5. Attach a resume/CV: Outline your accomplishments and relevant classes. The UF Career Connections Center has a nice page to help you put together a resume here [https://career.ufl.edu/resumes-documents/resumes/]. You can specify that you are attaching your resume, with expressions as: “My resume is attached which may provide  a better idea of my interests and past experiences”
  6. Closing: Use formal expressions like “Best regards”, “Thank you”, “Best wishes”, “Thanks in advance”, “I look forward to hearing from you” to close your email and give a professional impression.
  7. Sign: Include your name, major, and year in different lines.

More tips for reaching out to potential advisors can be found here: https://senr.osu.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-research/dos-and-donts

Here are some examples of what your email could look like:

Option A: If you have a specific interest

Dear Professor X,

My name is [your name], and I am a junior Marine Science major. I am broadly interested in (insert interest here e.g., freshwater ecology of fishes in the family Syngnathidae), and your research on (insert research project here e.g., environmental impacts of pipefishes) is very interesting. I have some experience working on project 1 and project 2.

Your paper (X et al. 2015) was particularly intriguing, with methods as such-and-such. I would be interested in your project (insert project name) and would love to be involved. I am available to meet DAY from TIME-TIME. I’ve also attached my CV for your consideration.

Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely,
[your name] Junior Marine Science major

Option B: If you have a general interest

Dear Professor X,

My name is [your name], and I am a junior Botany major. I am broadly interested in (insert interest e.g., plants, everything from morphology to phenology), and your research on (insert interest here e.g., plant phenology) is very interesting. I found your paper (X et al. 2015) particularly intriguing, with methods such-and-such.

I would be interested in your project (insert project name) to get any type of skillset in research about this topic. I am available to meet DAY from TIME-TIME. I’ve also attached my CV for your consideration.

Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely,
[your name] Junior Botany major

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Graduate Students and Faculty Members Interested in Advertising on the URAP Website

If you are interested in being a mentor to an undergraduate and would like to add a listing for an undergraduate research opportunity, please contact us at urapsymposium@gmail.com.

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URAP Undergraduate Research Grants

The Biology Graduate Student Association (BGSA), which includes the URAP committee, would like to announce two different grants to assist undergraduates interested in doing research in our department.

Application in the Spring semester:

URAP will fund 1 (one) undergraduate research grants of $250 annually, via our conventional URAP Grant-in-Aid of Research. These grants are meant to provide support to undergraduates and can be applied to research expenses, fieldwork, or travel to conferences. Funds for this grant will be dispersed directly to the student, to encourage the participation of new students in research in the Department of Biology. All undergraduates conducting research in labs associated with the Department of Biology are welcome to apply. Preference will be given to projects that are not currently funded, but students with well-funded projects are encouraged to apply. For the 2023 application instructions and materials, please download the GIAR-Cover Letter and Instructions file is available here. Applications are DUE by 5:00 pm on Friday, April 7th, 2023, and should be submitted to the URAP committee at urapsymposium@gmail.com.

Applications in the Fall semester:

URAP will also provide a URAP Engagement Grant of $150 to 1 (one) student. This grant was developed by Adania Flemming to engage undergraduates in the research being conducted in the Department of Biology, who otherwise may be unable to participate in research without funding. Funds for this grant will be dispersed directly to the student as a stipend, to encourage the participation of new students in research in the Department of Biology. We encourage applicants to apply who have been directly impacted by the historical and institutionalized processes that have maintained barriers to achieving equity in academia. Funds from this grant cannot be used for lab equipment, reagents, or fieldwork- these expenses may be covered by the URAP Grant in Aid of Research. For the 2022 application instructions and materials, please download the EG-Cover Letter and Instructions file here. Applications are DUE by 5:00 pm on Friday, December 9th, 2022, and should be submitted to the URAP committee at urapsymposium@gmail.com.

Past Grant Winners:

2022
Taylor Sawyer – “Variation in Photosynthetic Response and Nitrogen Assimilation in Different Strawberry Cultivars”

2021
Joshua Lopez-Scarim – “Designing a Drosophila Model of TDP-43 Transcellular Spreading”
Rebecca Molina – “Does anti-herbivory actions of the sensitive Mimosa pudica extend to benefit neighbors?”
Ethan Stolen – “The Impact of Genome Doubling on Gene Expression Noise in Arabidopsis thaliana

2019
Phuc Pham – “An integrated approach to understand the ploidy variation in a South African Memecylonclade (Melastomataceae)”

2018
Griffin McNamara – “Sexually Dimorphic Digit Development in Anolis sagrei

2017
Daniela Perez – “Variation of Organ Position in Snakes”
Gabriella Mizell – “Ontogenetic variation in costs & benefits of a widespread ant-plant mutualism”

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URAP Undergraduate Research Symposium

The Symposium occurs at the end of Spring every year. Details for the 2023 URAP Research Symposium are as follows:

When: Friday, April 14th, 2023, 2:00p – 5:00p
Where: Bartram-Carr Courtyard
Abstract Submission: Please submit abstracts to urapsymposium@gmail.com. Due Friday, April 7th, 2023.

See this year’s URAP Flyer for further instructions on abstracts and details on the event.

Schedule: The past 2023 symposium schedule of oral presentations and previews of each poster are provided HERE.

Awards for Oral and Poster Presentations:

2023
Talk: Taylor Sawyer – Identification of High-Performing Strawberry Genotypes in Photosynthetic Capacity and Water-Use Efficiency
Poster (First Place): Joy Guikema and Stepheny Gore – Characterizing the Air You Breathe: Particulate Matter Source Apportionment in Spanish Moss using Magnetic Measurements
Poster (Second Place): Faith Dunlap – Chelonian community surveys following a mortality event of Florida softshell turtles (Apalone ferox) in an isolated wetland

2022
Talk: Ethan N. Lawrence – Impact of Large Wildlife and Land Use Change on Carbon and Nutrients in the Mara River
Poster: Raquel A. Garcia Aponte – Using stomata size and density to distinguish polyploids in the multiple cytotype cactus Cylindropuntia leptocaulis (Cactaceae)

2021
Talk: Garett O’Donnel – Considering coral commensal crabs: A phylogenetic review of gall crabs (Family Cryptochiridae > Opecarcinus) and their hosts
Poster: Rebecca Molina – The Effect of Herbivore Interactions on Plant and Seed Development

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