We offer a summer internship program for undergraduate students who are both highly qualified and motivated toward graduate study. In this unique internship program, students will

• Conduct exciting research under the guidance of one of our graduate faculty members (see the list of opportunities in this page);
• Be paid a competitive wage (minimum of $7.00/hr plus $100 for relocation expenses) while learning valuable research skills;
• Attend a series of workshops on graduate research and science career skills such as library research, bibliographic databases, grant writing, and scientific presentations;
• Receive guidance and individual assistance with plans to complete their preparation for graduate school.

Participants are expected to gain invaluable research experience and skills needed for success in graduate school and a career in science.

Applicants must be committed to pursuing graduate study, in their junior or senior year, willing to relocate to either The Ohio State University main campus in Columbus or The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center campus in Wooster for this ten-week summer program, and must provide the following application materials: a copy of academic transcripts, SAT/ACT scores, recommendation forms from 3 undergraduate professors, and a 1-page statement of scientific and professional interests and goals, including how they match one or more of our specific internship opportunities, written by the applicant.

PDF versions of the application and reference forms are available by clicking one of the links below:

• Application Form
• Reference Form

We will begin reviewing applications May 1, 2000, and continue until the internships are filled. Please make every effort to have your application materials submitted by May 1, 2000.

Checklist for Applicants:

1. application form filled out completely and signed
2. copy of academic transcripts
3. recommendation forms given to 3 professors (check back to be sure they were sent!)
4. one-page statement of scientific and professional interests and goals

The following internships are available for Summer 2000 (more information on the mentor and the research program is available by clicking the mentor's name and project title):

Research area: Behavioral ecology and host plant resistance

Facuty Mentor: Casey Hoy
Project Title: Colorado potato beetle behavioral responses to potato alkaloids
Research Skills Taught: Bioassay design and analysis, computerized image analysis of insect feeding and movement, quantitative genetics.

Research Area: Biodiversity informatics, biological surveys

Faculty Mentor: Norman F. Johnson
Project Title: Databasing and analysis of geographic and temporal distribution of native bees Research Skills Taught: relational database structure and programming; web queries of online databases; web page design; curation of natural history collections; taxonomy and classification of bees

Research Area: Biological control

Faculty Mentor: Celeste Welty
Project Title: Enhancement of stigmaeid predatory mites in apple orchards.
Research Skills Taught: Biological sampling, experimental design, statistical data analysis, mite identification.

Research Area: Dust mite biology & control

Faculty Mentor: Glen Needham
Project Title: Prevention of Dust Mites in Homes of Asthmatics
Research skills: use antibody to detect presence of mites in homes; do basic research on dust mite biology using a microscope; develop interpersonal skill to interact with asthma patients in a clinical trial.

Research Arena: Ecotoxicology and the environment

Faculty mentor: Frank Hall
Project Title: Characterizing toxins in the environment
Research Skills Taught: Utilizing wind tunnel, identify and characterize toxins in/on target and non-target plants/organisms, modeling insect behavior and toxin encounter processes, experimental design and data analysis.

Research Area: Honey bee behavior, management, and nutrition

Faculty Mentor: James E. Tew
Project Title: Honey bee foraging behavior for trace elements and minerals.
Research Skills Taught: Experimental design, honey bee biology and behavior, parasitic mite identificationÊ and honey bee pathology.

Research area: Host-parasite interactions

Facuty Mentor: Parwinder Grewal
Project Title: Synergism between entomopathogenic nematodes and a chloronicotinyl insecticide against white grubs
Research Skills Taught: Field experiment design and layout, application of biological control agents, turfgrass/golfcourse research, and insect pathology.

Research Area: Insect chemical ecology

Faculty Mentor: Larry Phelan
Project Title: Chemical mediation of host-finding by plum curculio
Research Skills Taught: field trapping, experimental design and statistical analysis, analysis of plant volatiles by gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy

Research Area: Insect vector molecular biology

Faculty Mentor: Saskia Hogenhout
Project Title: Identification of bacterial endosymbionts in leafhoppers
Research Skills Taught: DNA isolation, PCR, cloning, DNA sequencing, phylogenetic tree construction, electron microscopy, and in situ hybridization.

Research area: Integrated Pest Management

Facuty Mentor: Joe Kovach
Project Title: Use of refelective mulches to manage tarnished plant bug populations in strawberries
Research Skills Taught: Field experimental design, data analysis, poster presentation

Research Area: Molecular entomology

Faculty Mentor: David L. Denlinger
Project Title: Molecular mechanisms regulating insect overwintering
Research Skills Taught: Cloning and expression of genes related to insect dormancy, basic skills in insect physiology and molecular biology

Research Area: Plant physiology / Chemical ecology / Plant-herbivore interactions

Faculty Mentor: Dan Herms
Project Title: Physiology and biochemistry of chemical defenses of plants to herbivores
Research Skills Taught: Stress physiology of plants including photosynthesis and carbon allocation, gas chromatography of natural plant chemicals, insect bioassay procedures, insect nutritional ecology.