Wading into discovery: BTI’s 2017 PGRP Interns

Motivated, curious, and eager to discover, BTI’s 2017 Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP) interns are ready to dive into a 2+ month transformative experience that will prepare them for their future career.

For 10 weeks (7 for high school interns), undergraduate and high school students will immerse themselves in plant genomics and bioinformatics while developing  fundamental skills needed to conduct research from start to finish. Interns will also present their findings at BTI’s annual Student Research Symposium (August 10th). and will have the opportunity to peer-review the work of their fellow interns.

Most importantly, interns will build confidence, make connections, and discover new opportunities. Along the way, students are matched with labs and mentors that meet their interests, allowing them to connect with leaders in their field and develop a support system at BTI and beyond.

BTI would like to than the following individuals and organizations for their generous support of this year’s internship program: the Ithaca Garden Club, the J.M. McDonald Foundation, Robert and Roberta Kohut, the Legacy Foundation of Tompkins County, the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program, Rheonix Inc., and Carolyn W. Sampson.

Stay tuned for updates on their experiences over the next two months!

Interns: Who They Are

BTI is proud to welcome the following undergraduate and high school student interns:

Undergraduates

First Name	University	Major	Lab
Brittany Apuzza	SUNY Cortland	Biology	Jander
Lily Bennett	Haverford College	Undecided	Heck
Stephanie Brocke	Michigan State University	Biochemistry	Roeder
Carla Dizon	University of Guam	Biology	Pawlowski
Natalie Gonzalez	University of California, Santa Cruz	Plant Sciences	Stern
Lauren Hamm	Rhodes College	Biology	Bentolila
Sophia Hu	University of Maryland, Baltimore County	Bioinformatics	Fei
Sire Kassama	University of Central Florida	Industrial Biotechnology	Van Wijk
Peter Kohler	Liberty University	Mathematics	Fei
Patrick Mendoza	Iowa State University	Horticulture	Scanlon
Michael Miller	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	Plant Sciences	Gore
Arianna Nimocks	Vanderbilt University	Biology	Jander
Eleanore Ritter	Skidmore College	Biology	Rose
Zackry  Stevenson	Doane University	Biology	Bogdanove
Kaitlin Stromberg	Carroll College	Biology	Giovannoni
Michaela Vachev	Eckerd College	Molecular Biology	Martin
Alexandra White	California State University, Long Beach	Biochemistry	Giovannoni
Brandon Williams	SUNY Cortland	Biology	Harrison
Anna Yaschenko	University of Maryland, Baltimore County	Computer Science	Mueller
Kyndra Zacherl	Gannon University	Bioinformatics	Mueller
Jordan Zonner	Iowa State University	Biology	Bogdanove

High School Students

Martin Alani, Ithaca High School (Lab: Jander), Valerie Chen, Ithaca High School, Asha Duhan, Ithaca High School (Lab: Mueller), Alexander Ivanov, Thomas S. Wootton High School (Lab: Mueller), Leo Song, Ithaca High School (Lab: Stern), Caroline Taylor, (Lab: Stern), Lucy Wang, Ithaca High School (Lab: Jander)