Programmable Plant Systems

Overview

Discover the language of plants through transdisciplinary research opportunities for undergraduates across plant biology, engineering, and computer science. Unlock a world of discovery with our 10-week NSF-funded REU hosted at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York! The Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems NSF REU will provide unique opportunities for students to engage in digital biology research and further the development of programmable plants systems, plants endowed with the ability to message and communicate with humans. The Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems (CROPPS) unites plant scientists, engineers, computer scientists, and social scientists to develop technologies that will enable seamless, bidirectional communication between humans and plants. The Center aims for these technologies to give new access to the biological processes that connect genes to traits, to guide the process of plant selection, engineering, and editing for improved crops, and to enable sophisticated management of crops in the field for improved sustainability and productivity. Summer undergraduates in this program will be hosted and mentored by interdisciplinary teams that include expertise in both plant science and technology development. The host site will be the BTI Summer REU (https://reu.btiscience.org/) Current freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and non-graduating seniors, who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, are eligible to apply. Applicants must have a 2.75 or greater cumulative GPA. We seek curious and highly motivated applicants who are interested in exploring the plant sciences, bioinformatics, or digital biology fields. We encourage applicants from all college and socioeconomic backgrounds to apply.