REU Site: The Stressed Life of Cells

This REU Site award to the University of Kansas, located in Lawrence, KS, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2025–2027. The U.S. faces a shortage of skilled professionals in the biotechnology sector, and this program aims to strengthen the domestic STEM workforce by providing hands-on research experiences that will cultivate critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and scientific innovation. Students will work in faculty-led laboratories within the Departments of Molecular Biosciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Computational Biology. In addition to gaining valuable research skills, students will also participate in workshops focused on scientific communication, career development, and professional networking. This program benefits the university and state by showcasing the region’s cultural and scientific opportunities. The program will conclude with students presenting their research findings in a university-wide scientific poster session. Many participants will also have the opportunity to present their work at scientific conferences after the program, further developing their skills in scientific communication and professional networking. The effectiveness of the program will be assessed through observations, in-person interviews, in-house evaluations, and NSF-approved surveys, together with tracking students’ career trajectories for five years, post-program. Students should apply to the REU site using NSF ETAP (Education and Training Application: https://etap.nsf.gov). The scientific focus of the program, The Stressed Life of Cells, explores how living systems respond to biotic and abiotic stressors at molecular, cellular, and organismal levels. Research projects will investigate stress responses in diverse biological contexts, integrating experimental and computational approaches. Students will engage in studies ranging from cellular signaling pathways, microbial stress adaptation, and genetic variation leading to either resilience or disease. This interdisciplinary training will equip participants with critical analytical skills and expand talent in emerging areas of biotechnology and environmental biology. The program also emphasizes ethical research practices and professional development, preparing students for careers in science and industry. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.