CMS: Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Summer Undergraduate Research Program

A significant strength of our interdisciplinary training program is the ability to involve advanced undergraduates in interdisciplinary research projects during the summer. This is a very good way for junior undergraduates to obtain an impression of research at the chemistry/biology interface in the CMS and to evaluate the CMS and UGa as a suitable environment to pursue graduate training. Many of our summer undergraduate participants apply for CMS traineeships when they graduate. Senior undergraduates also participate in our summer research program, often as a "head start" on their graduate careers at UGa as CMS trainees.

The CMS Summer Undergraduate Research Program supports ca. eight to ten students each summer for a nine-week program of research in one of the CMS faculty laboratories. The participants are immersed in an active research project and spend full time in the laboratory. At the end of the summer session, participants in the CMS SURP and in other UGa summer research programs take part in a poster competition designed to allow the students to communicate the results of their research projects to their peers.

The CMS SURP attracts undergraduates from a variety of institutions that come to UGa to take advantage of the interdisciplinary strengths of our research program. For example, listed below are the CMS SURP participants of 1997 and their undergraduate institutions.

1997 SURP Participants

Student
Affiliation Title of Project
[Advisor]
Michael D. Clay
University of Michigan--Flint Possible Function Of NIFU As First Iron-Sulfur Cluster Assembling Protein
[Michael K. Johnson]
Pamela L. Coleson
University of Georgia
Effects of Site-directed Mutagenesis on the 0₂ Reactivity of Hemerythrin
[Donald M. Kurtz, Jr.]
Nathaniel J. Cosper
University of South Carolina--Aiken
EPR Analysis of a Recombinant Plant Laccase
[Jeffrey F. D. Dean and Michael K. Johnson]
Leah R. Eller
Randolph-Macon College
Production of Laccase from Ganoderma tsugae
[Karl-Erik L. Eriksson]
Jamie L. Hoffmann
Greenville College
Thermal Stability Studies on Adehyde Ferredoxin Oxidoreductase from Pyrococcus furiosus
[Michael W. W. Adams]
Sean M. Karre
Creighton University
Construction of pWLG15, an Integrative Expression Vector Containing a Modified pac Cassette
[William B. Whitman]
Pavan Pancholy
Florida State University
Fermentative Production and Purification of a Recombinant Plant Laccase from Wild-type and transgenic Plant Cells
[Jeffrey F. D. Dean]
Ryan A. Shanks
University of Georgia

[B. C. Wang]

Summer 1998: The Role of Transition Metals in Biology

In 1998, an NSF Research Training Group in the Center for Metalloenzyme Studies will award several summer research positions to undergraduate majors in chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, genetics, or related disciplines. Undergraduates who will have completed their junior year of study and who are interested in interdisciplinary training in the area of transition metals in biology are invited to apply. The program consists of approximately 8-10 weeks of research supervised by one of 17 CMS faculty members.

Examples of research projects include:

Synthesis/characterization of inorganic models for biological metal centers
Computer modeling of metalloproteins
Spectroscopy of metal centers in proteins
Mutagenesis of metalloenzymes in various bacteria
Investigations of industrially important microbial enzyme systems
Studies of metalloenzymes isolated from hyperthermophilic baceteria

Students completing this program will be better prepared for graduate school and/or for careers in biomedical research or biotechnology. Each student will receive a stipend of $3,000. Low cost housing in the University dormitories and a University meal plan are available.

To apply to 1998 CMS SURP, first visit this page to select your three choices of faculty advisor, then submit the online application form at the bottom of this page by the deadline of March 2, 1998. Also send two letters of recommendation by the deadline to:

Professor Donald M. Kurtz, Jr.
Department of Chemistry
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia 30602-2556

For further information, call 706-542-1949 or fax 706-542-1935.

Please review my application for the Summer Undergraduate Research Program.
1998 SURP Program dates: June 15-August 7, 1998
Application deadline: March 1, 1998

Name/Address:

E-mail address:

Phone:

Date of Birth:

Social Security #:

U.S. Citizen? Yes No Permanent Resident

Present College/University:

Major Field:

Expected Graduation Date:

Grade Point Average:
A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0 Major Overall

Career Objective:
1-2 sentences describing your plans beyond the undergraduate degree

List first, second, and third choices of professors requested to advise summer research:
See this page for faculty list 1.
2.
3.

Describe why you want to do summer research in this program ("The Role of Transition Metals in Biology"):

List names and phone numbers of your undergraduate professors who have agreed to write letters of recommendation for you: 1.
Phone:
2.
Phone:

*Student* Affiliation	Title of Project [Advisor]
Michael D. Clay University of Michigan--Flint	Possible Function Of NIFU As First Iron-Sulfur Cluster Assembling Protein [Michael K. Johnson]
Pamela L. Coleson University of Georgia	Effects of Site-directed Mutagenesis on the 0₂ Reactivity of Hemerythrin [Donald M. Kurtz, Jr.]
Nathaniel J. Cosper University of South Carolina--Aiken	EPR Analysis of a Recombinant Plant Laccase [Jeffrey F. D. Dean and Michael K. Johnson]
Leah R. Eller Randolph-Macon College	Production of Laccase from Ganoderma tsugae [Karl-Erik L. Eriksson]
Jamie L. Hoffmann Greenville College	Thermal Stability Studies on Adehyde Ferredoxin Oxidoreductase from Pyrococcus furiosus [Michael W. W. Adams]
Sean M. Karre Creighton University	Construction of pWLG15, an Integrative Expression Vector Containing a Modified pac Cassette [William B. Whitman]
Pavan Pancholy Florida State University	Fermentative Production and Purification of a Recombinant Plant Laccase from Wild-type and transgenic Plant Cells [Jeffrey F. D. Dean]
Ryan A. Shanks University of Georgia	[B. C. Wang]

Name/Address:
E-mail address:
Phone:
Date of Birth:
Social Security #:
U.S. Citizen?	Yes No Permanent Resident
Present College/University:
Major Field:
Expected Graduation Date:
Grade Point Average: A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0	Major Overall
Career Objective: 1-2 sentences describing your plans beyond the undergraduate degree
List first, second, and third choices of professors requested to advise summer research: See this page for faculty list	1. 2. 3.
Describe why you want to do summer research in this program ("The Role of Transition Metals in Biology"):
List names and phone numbers of your undergraduate professors who have agreed to write letters of recommendation for you:	1. Phone: 2. Phone: