2024 Branch Experiment Station Projects

Instructions for students - Read first

Step 1: Review the faculty project summaries (see below).

Step 2: Once you have found a project that interests you, email the project mentor (see guide to writing emails to faculty here) to set up a time to connect and learn more about the project. NOTE: Only contact 2 faculty mentors at a time. If you haven't heard back in 4 business days, followup with a second email.

Step 3: Meet with potential faculty mentors to discuss the project and potential acceptance into their lab.

Step 4: Apply to the Branch Experiment Station Research Internship Program, indicating your preferred projects. Application opens March 1 and closes April 1 @ 11:59pm. Applications will include a resume, cover letter outlining your research interests, and unofficial transcript. NOTE: if you haven't had a chance to do steps 2&3, please still submit an application so that you can be considered. There will be time after the application deadline to have meetings with faculty.

Projects - listed by station

 

Seafood Research & Education Center - Astoria

Production and use of food products from the ocean and estuaries

Seafood Industry Applied Projects

Faculty Mentor: Christina A. Mireles DeWitt

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

Students will support work on industry applied projects for the summer.  Applied projects will be based on industry needs and could focus on quality degradation as measured by bioimpedance, product shelf-life determinations as measured by sensory, microbial, and/or chemical measures.  In addition, projects could include collection and evaluation of seafood processing water, surimi processing value-addition, or seafood by-product utilization.  

 

Student Responsibilities:

Students will be expected to work in a team environment alongside scientists at the facility.  Students, depending on experience and ability, may be given small projects to conduct on their own.  In addition, projects may require work at seafood processing facilities to collect samples for projects and some work may occur on weekends or after hours.  Students need to have a drivers license in order to be able to drive a university vehicle.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

Ideally student has some background in food testing, however, this is not a requirement as skills can be taught under supervision of scientist.  Students must be willing to learn new skills and to work independently once skills are verified. Students must be willing to consume seafood for sensory projects.  Preferred skills/experience: Students that have taken Food Analysis lab and Food Microbiology lab.  

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will learn approaches to solving seafood industry driven issues and problems.  They will learn about novel sensing technologies being developed to determine degradation and drive best practices for quality improvements.  They will learn how to determine degradation in seafood through sensory odor evaluation.  

 

Student Hourly Salary: $20/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 40 hrs/week, working 10-12 weeks during the summer

Hourly Working Parameters: Projects may require work at seafood processing facilities to collect samples for projects and some work may occur on weekends or after hours.  

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

North Willamette Research and Extension Center (NWREC) - Aurora

Ornamental and nursery crops, small fruits and vegetable production

Exploring Climate-Adaptive Approaches: Melon Variety Trials with Dry Farming and Minimal Irrigation

Faculty Mentor: Heidi Noordijk

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

Specific Duration: Student can begin as early as May 7 and go through September 17. There is flexibility in this schedule, the main work will be from early June through early September.

 

Project Description:

Dry farming vs. minimal irrigation strategies. We will compare dry farmed melon plots to minimally-irrigated melon plots that employ soil moisture meters to inform irrigation decisions. We will compare the costs and benefits of the two water-saving farm practices including differences in yield, marketability, and input costs such as labor and water.  Melon variety trials. Dry farmed melons are becoming a valued product in Oregon. Nested within the  dry farmed and minimally-irrigated research plots, we will conduct a replicated variety trial of 5 top performing dry farm melon varieties, as determined by OSU Dry Farming Project research. Each variety will be evaluated for performance and marketability in water-limited conditions.  The project will include a public field day in Aug/Sept, to demonstrate water-wise crop production strategies, and to conduct melon tasting sessions among participants.

 

Student Responsibilities:

The research student will assist in a variety of hands-on tasks and responsibilities related to agricultural research and field management including: 

  • Field Preparations:
    • Assist in plot layout.
    • Participate in planting activities.
    • Help with spreading amendments.
    • Assist in transplanting crops.
    • Set up drip irrigation systems.
    • Install and calibrate soil moisture sensors.
  • Field Management:
    • Weed using hand tools.
    • Monitor and maintain the overall condition of the field.
    • Ensure proper growth conditions for crops.
  • Data Collection:
    • Conduct soil moisture measurements.
    • Record irrigation usage data.
    • Collect yield data.
    • Assess crop marketability.
    • Participate in taste testing sessions.
    • Take photos and maintain written observations throughout the season.
    • Update project website and social media accounts with data and observations.
  • Event Planning and Assistance:
    • Assist in planning and executing the NWREC Melon Dry Farmed Field Day.
    • Conduct outreach for the event.
    • Create and install signs.
    • Set up and take down tents and tables.
    • Collect evaluations from participants.
    • Assist in preparing for flavor evaluations.
    • Share findings on soil moisture and yield data during the field day.
  • Communication and Reporting:
    • Write an article for the NWREC newsletter and Oregon Small Farm News about the project.
    • Develop a poster or other scholarly material for their BES program report.
  • Potential Off-Site Activities:
    • Visit and collect data from off-site research plots.
    • Participate in field days with project partners across Western Oregon. 

Overall, the student will be deeply involved in various aspects of agricultural research, from hands-on fieldwork to data collection and communication of findings. They will have opportunities to contribute to outreach efforts and collaborate with project partners, gaining valuable experience in agricultural research and community engagement. 

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  • Experience with Microsoft Word and Excel or Google Docs and Google Sheets
  • Good verbal communication skills. 
  • Some experience in farm production and an interest in sustainable agriculture.
  • Attention to detail
  • Time management and organizational skills
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Learn how soil moisture meters can inform irrigation decisions and contribute to water conservation in agriculture
  • Analyze differences in yield, marketability, and input costs between the two water-saving farm practices.
  • Acquire skills in designing and implementing experimental trials, including replicated variety trials.ing crop varieties for performance and marketability under water-limited conditions
  • Develop effective communication skills by presenting research findings to diverse audiences, including participants at the public field day.
  • Learn how to adapt and adjust farming practices based on real-time data and observations.
  • Understand the role of innovative farming techniques in mitigating water scarcity and promoting environmental sustainability.
  • Gain practical experience in field preparation and management and other agricultural activities.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $16/hr

Expected Hours/Week: Minimum 24 hours per week Maximum 32 hours per week  This can be lower while school is in session.

Hourly Working Parameters: The field day will end at 7:00 pm and the student will expect to work from noon-8:00 pm that day. Starting time can be earlier than 8:00 am to avoid the late afternoon heat.

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Nursery plant production

Faculty Mentor: Lloyd Nackley

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024,Spring 2025

 

Project Description:

Join a dynamic research team this summer for hands-on experience in horticultural research. This position offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with agricultural science professors and graduate students while gaining technical expertise in ag. technology research within a supportive lab environment. Located near Wilsonville, OR, at the North Willamette Research and Extension Center, this internship will involve assisting with various experiments focused primarily on irrigation and nutrient efficiency. The BES student will play a crucial role in managing a sensor-controlled irrigation system used for high-throughput phenotyping, as well as measuring plant transpiration responses to irrigation treatments. Additionally, the student will contribute to the enhancement of our nursery run-off pad and experimental system designed to measure water quality. Explore the "Nackley Lab Blog Oregon State" and our Instagram page to learn more about our ongoing projects.

 

Student Responsibilities:

  • Plant Research and Sensor-Controlled Irrigation Management: 60%. Assist in managing the sensor-controlled irrigation system used for high-throughput phenotyping. Conduct regular checks on irrigation emitters and assess plant health in response to irrigation treatments. Hand weed plots; mix potting media for containers; thin container plants; transplant and/or seed plots; help clean research workspace and storage areas. 
  • Data Collection and Analysis: 20%. Collect and analyze data related to biomass sampling, seed harvest, and other aspects of nursery production trials according to study protocols. Measure plant transpiration responses to irrigation treatments and adjust irrigation schedules accordingly. Conduct assessments of water quality. Assist in downloading data from loggers and maintaining accurate records of experimental procedures and results. 
  • Field Day(s) Prep: 10%. Help maintain buildings, grounds, fences, roads, and other research facilities. Manage land not currently involved in research projects, including mowing, string trimming, pruning, mulching, and hand weeding. Assist the Nursery program as needed in conducting tours, training sessions, and field days for the public.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

Program is open to all

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Hands-on Experience in Horticultural Research: Students will gain practical experience in conducting horticultural research, including plant care, irrigation management, data collection, and analysis. 
  • Technical Skills Development: Through tasks such as managing the sensor-controlled irrigation system, downloading data from loggers, and assessing water quality, students will develop technical skills relevant to agricultural science and research. 
  • Data Collection and Analysis Skills: Students will learn how to collect, analyze, and interpret data related to biomass sampling, seed harvest, plant transpiration responses, and water quality assessments, enhancing their abilities in scientific data analysis. 
  • Facility Management Skills: Students will acquire skills in managing research facilities, including maintaining infrastructure, monitoring environmental conditions, and ensuring a clean and organized workspace. 
  • Collaboration and Communication: Working alongside research team members, students will develop collaboration and communication skills, learning how to effectively communicate findings and contribute to team efforts in a research environment.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $18/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 20 minimum and 30 max.  depending on experience.

Hourly Working Parameters: typically 10am - 4pm. Flexible start times.  With experience the student can begin earlier in the day.

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center (EOARC) - Burns

Rangelend ecology, livestock management, wildlife

Wildfire smoke and the effects on cattle health and production

Faculty Mentor: Juliana Ranches

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024, Fall 2024

 

Project Description:

In this study, we aim to evaluate the effects of wildfire smoke exposure on cattle health and performance. We have created a mythology to mimic wildfire smoke. We will expose weaned calves to this created smoke in our metabolism barn to evaluate the effects of smoke exposure on animal health and performance. Cattle feeding and health scores are the daily activities of this study. The collection of body weight and blood samples for analysis of health markers happens once a week for one month. 

 

Student Responsibilities:

Students applying for this project will work with beef calves after weaning during the smoke exposure phase. With graduate students and PI assistance, students will learn how to handle and restrain cattle and collect blood samples. Students with graduate students will learn how to process blood samples in the animal physiology lab after collection. Additionally, students will be responsible for cattle feeding, health scoring, and data entry.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  • Experience with cattle handling and management. 
  • Ability to frequently lift and/or carry up to 50 pounds.
  • Self-motivated.
  • Experience living or working in rural/remote locations.
  • General knowledge of computers and skills used in word processing and data entry.
  • Ability to carry out tasks independently and part of a team.
  • Ability to work irregular hours, early mornings under adverse field conditions (wind, rain, snow, mud - IF NEEDED).

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will learn best practices on cattle handling and management. Additionally, students will be allowed to learn how to collect and process blood samples for multiple assays. There is also an opportunity to assist with laboratory assays such as cortisol acute phase proteins and other health markers.  Students will learn about calls health and the impacts of smoke exposure on animal performance Finally, students will be able to participate in lab meetings, where we discuss the most up-to-date literature on our studies, allowing them to gain experience in discussing the literature.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $14.20/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 20 hr per week.

Hourly Working Parameters: Fieldwork usually begins at 8 am and should be finished before noon. From 1 pm to 5 pm, students often work with data entry and laboratory when needed.  Work on the weekends is sometimes required and will be arranged with graduate students and other interns.

Housing Benefit: The EOARC offers shared housing at no cost.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Supplementation of Vitamin B complex to Late Gestation Beef Cows

Faculty Mentor: Juliana Ranches

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024, Fall 2024

 

Project Description:

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of supplementation of biotin and vitamin B12 on performance of cows and their calves. We hypothesized that supplementation of biotin and vitamin B12 prior to calving and during early lactation will affect energy metabolism of cows, resulting in greater milk production which will result in greater weaning weights.  

Procedures:  On Fall 2023 at pregnancy diagnosis (second/third week of December), 28 mature pregnant beef cows (calving second calf) will be selected out of 38 cows based on expected calving date. We will target calving date as mid-March, to allow for 45 d of supplementation prior to calving and a minimum of 60 d of supplementation post-calving before cows are relocated to Northern Great Basin Experimental Range for summer grazing.  Cows will be randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments on d0. Treatments will be: (1) Control (n= 14) no vitamin B complex supplementation or (2) Vitamin (n = 14) cows assigned to this treatment will be supplemented with vitamin B complex (Vivalto; 2g cow/daily).    

On d0, blood samples, body weight, and body condition score will be collected from all cows. These same samples will be collected again on days 30, 60, at turnout (d 90) and at weaning. At calving, a blood sample and colostrum samples will be collected from all cows, a blood sample and birth weight will also be collected from all calves. At turnout, mid-April, a milk sample will be collected, and an estimation of milk production will be conducted using the weigh-suckle-weigh method. A second and third body weight and blood samples will be collected from calves at turnout and weaning. After weaning, calves will be preconditioned at the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center (EOARC) for 44 days prior to feedlot entry. During the preconditions phase, blood samples will be collected from all calves born in the study on days 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 44 post-weaning.   

 

Student Responsibilities:

Students applying for this project will be working with beef calves after weaning, during the preconditioning phase. With graduate students and PI assistance, students will learn how to handle and restrain cattle and collect blood samples. Students with graduate students will learn how to process blood samples in the animal physiology lab after collection. Additionally, students will be responsible for cattle feeding, health scoring, and data entry.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  • Experience with cattle handling and management. 
  • Ability to frequently lift and/or carry up to 50 pounds.
  • Self-motivated.
  • Experience living or working in rural/remote locations.
  • General knowledge of computers and skills used in word processing and data entry.
  • Ability to carry out tasks independently and part of a team.
  • Ability to work irregular hours, early mornings under adverse field conditions (wind, rain, snow, mud - IF NEEDED). 

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will learn best practices on cattle handling and management. Additionally, students will be allowed to learn how to collect and process blood samples for multiple assays. There is also an opportunity to assist with laboratory assays such as cortisol acute phase proteins and other health markers.  Students will learn about ruminant nutrition, specifically vitamin nutrition. Finally, students will be able to participate in lab meetings, where we discuss the most up-to-date literature on our studies, allowing them to gain experience in discussing the literature.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $14.20/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 20 hr per week.

Hourly Working Parameters: Fieldwork usually begins at 8 am and should be finished before noon. From 1 pm to 5 pm, students often work with data entry and laboratory when needed.  Work on the weekends is sometimes required and will be arranged with graduate students and other interns.

Housing Benefit: The EOARC offers shared housing at no cost.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Carbon fluxes in grazing rangelands

Faculty Mentor: Juliana Ranches

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024, Fall 2024

 

Project Description:

This project aims to evaluate the carbon fluxes of grazing rangelands. In this study, Eddy covariance flux towers and green feeders will be used to monitor the changes in carbon fluxes during the year's seasons. This study aims to create baseline data for future studies where we will then implement enteric methane mitigation strategies for cattle grazing rangelands.

 

Student Responsibilities:

In this study, students will be responsible for the daily monitoring of equipment and data entry.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  • Ability to frequently lift and/or carry up to 50 pounds.
  • Self-motivated.
  • Experience living or working in rural/remote locations.
  • General knowledge of computers and skills used in word processing and data entry.
  • Ability to carry out tasks independently and part of a team.
  • Ability to work irregular hours, early mornings under adverse field conditions (wind, rain, snow, mud - IF NEEDED).

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will learn about carbon fluxes, specifically in grazing rangelands., as well as how to monitor and work with the equipment. Additionally, students will be able to participate in lab meetings, where we discuss the most up-to-date literature on our studies, allowing them to gain experience in discussing the literature.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $14.20/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 20 hr per week.

Hourly Working Parameters: Fieldwork usually begins at 8 am and should be finished before noon. From 1 pm to 5 pm, students often work with data entry and laboratory when needed.  Work on the weekends is sometimes required and will be arranged with graduate students and other interns.

Housing Benefit: The EOARC offers shared housing at no cost.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center (SOREC) - Central Point

Tree fruits, wine grapes, hemp, diseases and pests

Biological Control of Cannabis Aphids in Hemp Production

Faculty Mentor: Govinda Shrestha

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024, Fall 2024

 

Project Description:

The industrial hemp is an emerging industry in Oregon and across the nation. The Southern Oregon climate is known for the production of high-quality flower and CBD hemp. One of the insect pests that is currently affecting indoor and outdoor hemp productions in Southern Oregon is cannabis aphids. The aphid species is invasive pest in North America and originated from South East Asia. Cannabis aphids feeding reduces hemp plant growth and flower yields.  Aphid parasitoids are important biological control of aphids and play an important role in aphid management.  In this internship, the student will have an opportunity to learn:

  1. The rearing of cannabis aphids and aphid parasitoids in lab conditions.
  2. Aphid parasitoid experiment methods.
  3. Develop outreach skills by direct interaction with growers.

 

Student Responsibilities:

  • Traveling in state vehicle for checking insect on hemp fields in Jackson and Josephine Counties
  • Counting insects on a microscope
  • Keeping legible field notes
  • Comfortable working alone 

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

The student should have a driver's license. No prior experience is required for this internship, though it will be a plus if the student has some experience working on insect ecology and biology. 

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

The project objectives are to provide an opportunity for a student to learn how to conduct aphid parasitoid experiments, and field extension network with growers. 

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 30-40 hours per week

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Creating next-generation controls for fire blight of pear

Faculty Mentor: Joseph DeShields

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

The bacterium Erwinia amylovora causes fire blight disease on pear and apple which can be especially devastating on trees in the Pacific Northwest. The key symptoms behind pear tree deaths after fire blight infection of flowers and shoots are fire blight cankers. Development of spray programs that prevent infection of E. amylovora is the purpose of this project and the objectives of the project include investigation into the efficacy of fire blight management programs involving Regalia (a plant extract of giant knotweed), antibiofilm enzymes, or various copper/oil combinations. The ultimate goal is to prevent and/or cure these infections which would result in reduced fire blight cankers.  

 

Student Responsibilities:

The student will be responsible for conducting lab and field work related to fire blight management including, but not limited to, data collection, data entry, driving using OSU vehicles, pruning, flagging, labeling, imposing treatments, harvesting fruit, timely communication, and checking inventory. Other responsibilities include attending and discussing experiments in monthly lab meetings, assisting with various lab and field tasks, and writing up a report on the internship research project.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

The student applicant should be a team player, have experience with the Microsoft Office Suite, and have an interest in laboratory and/or field work.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

A student working on this project should expect to learn how to,

  1. Identify fire blight disease of pear and general symptoms/signs of tree diseases
  2. Collect, enter, and communicate experimental data and results
  3. Manage fire blight and other disease of pear
  4. Conduct and design field trials and fieldwork
  5. Miscellaneous laboratory skills including pressure/ripeness testing of fruit, preparation of culturing media and chemical buffers, managing plant tissue samples, and chemical inventory.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: The student is expected to work between 30 and 40 hours per week.

Hourly Working Parameters: The student is expected to work a typical schedule of 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Drought tolerance evaluation of grapevine rootstocks using stable isotopes

Faculty Mentor: Alexander D. Levin

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

This project aims at evaluating drought tolerance of Pinot noir and Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines grafted onto 10 rootstock cultivars using carbon isotope discrimination and other indicators. The vineyard was planted in 2019 at the OSU Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center in Central Point, Oregon. During the experiment, water stress will be imposed by minimally irrigating vines over the course of the growing season. Control vines will be kept well-watered. Rootstock drought tolerance will be evaluated based on various physiological and morphological measurements including phenology, vine water status, gas exchange, water use efficiency, berry ripening, vine yield, accumulation of stable carbon isotope in juice, uptake and translocation of labeled nitrogen (N15), and nutrient uptake status of the vines over three growing seasons (2023 – 2026). Results of this project will be a model for yield prediction and vine performance for evaluated rootstocks under drought conditions and recommendation of rootstocks suitable for growers when establishing a new vineyard.

 

Student Responsibilities:

  • Assist with monitoring and field data collection
  • Assist with treatment imposition and maintenance of the vineyard irrigation system
  • Assist with sampling 
  • Assist with sample processing and analysis
  • Assist with data analysis and preparation of reports 
  • Willing to work outside under hot, dry, and dusty weather conditions 
  • Willing to learn and be open to suggestions/feedback. 
  • Willing to work during occasional early-morning or late-afternoon sessions as demanded by the specifics of experimental protocols. 

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  • Experience working in vineyards, orchards, or related woody perennial cropping systems
  • Experience participating in field research as a member of a team
  • Basic knowledge of horticulture, agronomy, and/or plant physiology
  • Can work independently with basic supervision
  • Can lift up to 50 lbs.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

Basics of viticulture, vine physiology, instrument handling, field experimental designs, and data analysis.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr.

Expected Hours/Week: 30-40 hrs/week.

Housing Benefit: None, student is responsible for own housing.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes.

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? No.

Hermiston Agricultural Research & Extension Center (HAREC) - Hermiston

Irrigated crops, cereals and forage production

Measuring soil aggregate stability and composition in different land-use sites

Faculty Mentor: Carlos Bonilla

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024, Fall 2024

Specific Duration of Project: June 2024 to September 2024

 

Project Description:

Soil aggregate abundance and stability are measurements of soil quality, as stable aggregates relate to a wide range of soil ecosystem services. This project involves sampling a series of soils and relating their aggregates to some fundamental soil properties and land use management affecting soil aggregation. The project consists of soil sampling at the Hermiston Agricultural Research & Extension Center (HAREC) and some selected sites around Hermiston. In addition to fieldwork, it includes the sample analysis at the HAREC-Soil Hydrology and Irrigation Laboratory. All samples will be processed for soil physical properties, and aggregate stability will be measured with a wet sieving apparatus. 

 

Student Responsibilities:

The student will perform field soil sampling, building land-use management records for each site, and laboratory analysis for measuring some soil properties such as particle distribution, texture, aggregate abundance, and stability. All measurements will be archived on Excel spreadsheets, including GPS coordinates and documenting a photographic record.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  • Good communication, punctual, enthusiastic, dependable, and with a strong work ethic
  • Experience: Although helpful, no previous experience in soil science is necessary.
  • The intern must have a driver's license.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

The student will learn the fundamentals of soil science related to soil aggregate stability and quality. The student will also learn scientific experimental design, soil sampling, and standard analytical techniques for soil physical analysis. The student will work under Dr. Bonilla's supervision.

 

Student Hourly Salary:  $16/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 40 hrs/week

Hourly Working Parameters: When doing fieldwork, the student may work more than 8 hours daily but not more than 40 hours per week, starting earlier than 8 AM or ending later than 5 PM. No work on weekends.

Housing Benefit: $150 per month in housing benefits will be provided.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Host plant use patterns of aphids on Potato Virus Y (PVY)- resistant potato varieties

Faculty Mentor: Josephine Antwi

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

Specific Duration of Project: June 3 - August 3

 

Project Description:

Much like many important commodity crops, potatoes are affected by a wide range of insect pests. Insect damage on potatoes range from defoliation, tuber necrosis, to pathogen transmission. Aphids in particular pose a threat to potato health because they are the main vectors of potato diseases, including Potato Virus Y (PVY), that lead to significant yield losses. Development of PVY-resistant potato varieties remains an important crop protection strategy in reducing the spread of PVY. However, knowledge about the mechanisms behind PVY-resistance in potato to aphids are not well-understood. This internship focuses on understanding host use patterns of aphids on PVY-resistant potato varieties. 

Project Objectives:

The intern involved with this project will focus on understanding host plant use patterns of aphids on PVY-resistant potato varieties. The objectives of this project are to: 

  1. Monitor aphid numbers in a potato variety trial in the field.
  2. Count aphid numbers from traps.
  3. Conduct a greenhouse experiment to determine aphid preference for resistant/susceptible potato varieties. 

 

Student Responsibilities:

The internship will be involved in both the field and greenhouse aspects of this project. Field work may last hours and involve physical activities such as walking to the field plots and back to the laboratory, collecting aphids and other insects using nets and other trapping techniques, and sampling plants. It is anticipated that about 30% of the intern’s time will be spent in the field and the remaining time in the laboratory and greenhouse. Laboratory work will consist of insect identification, insect counting, maintaining insect colonies, and entering data into Excel. Greenhouse work will involve planting potatoes, placing aphids on plants, observing aphid plant use (including feeding, reproduction, or mortality), and entering data into Excel. 

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

 Although helpful, no previous experience with insects or plants is necessary. The intern must have a driver’s license.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

The intern can expect to learn or further develop existing skills in insect sampling methods, insect identification, laboratory techniques (including maintaining insect colonies), setting up greenhouse experiments, data entry and analysis, and presentation skills in the development of their final project.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $18/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 30-40 hrs/week

Hourly Working Parameters: Student may be expected to come in on weekends to check on insect colonies and/or water plants in the greenhouse.

Housing Benefit: HAREC has an on-site housing. Faculty will provide ~$120 in housing benefits per month.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes.

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes.

Insect pest monitoring on hemp and potato fields in the Columbia Basin of Oregon

Faculty Mentor: Josephine Antwi

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

Specific Duration of Project: June 3 - August 30

 

Project Description:

Many crops of economic importance are hosts to a wide range of insect pests that cause crop damage and yield loss. Frequent monitoring of these insects on field crops is important because it enhances early detection of pests and allows growers to take adequate action for pest management. Potatoes and hemp are some of the economically important crops in Oregon. Both crops are affected by a variety of insects. Lepidopteran pests for example, including corn earworms, are serious pests of hemp grown in outdoor production. The corn earworm larvae feeding impact flower and cannabinoid yield production. Potato psyllids, potato tuberworm, beet leafhoppers, and aphids are also serious potato pests that could threaten Oregon´s potato industry. In this internship, the student will have an opportunity to learn:

  1. Insect monitoring and surveying in field crop systems.
  2. Insect identification techniques.
  3. Develop outreach skills by direct interaction with growers.

Project Objectives:

The project objectives are to provide an opportunity for a student to learn pest monitoring and insect pest identification techniques, and field extension network with growers.

 

Student Responsibilities:

  • Traveling in state vehicle for checking insect traps/pheromone lures in hemp and potato fields in Eastern Oregon/Central Oregon. Field work may last hours
  • Counting insects under a microscope
  • Keeping legible field notes
  • Entering data into Excel
  • Comfortable working alone 

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

The student should have a driver's license. No prior experience is required for this internship, though it will be a plus if the student has some experience working on insect ecology and biology. 

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

From this internship, the student will learn the monitoring and surveying techniques for insect pests on hemp and potatoes, know how to identify common insect pests on hemp and potatoes, and become familiar with hemp and potatoes cropping systems.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $18/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 30-40 hours per week

Hourly Working Parameters: Student is expected work from 8am-5pm. However, there might be some days where the student may be returning from field work after 5pm.

Housing Benefit: HAREC has on-site housing at a subsidized rate if student chooses to stay there. Faculty will provide ~$120 in housing benefits per month.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes.

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes.

Invertebrate Responses to Restoration in Eastern Oregon - field collection, eDNA sample preparation, and museum specimen preparation

Faculty Mentor: David Wooster

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

Specific Duration of Project: The internship is for 10 weeks. Starting date is as soon as the student can get out to eastern Oregon.

 

Project Description:

Stream and riparian restoration is taking place in many areas throughout Oregon, including eastern Oregon. Many restoration projects are designed to improve stream conditions for salmon and trout. Improvements to streams resulting from restoration can be assessed by examining aquatic invertebrate assemblages. In addition, stream and riparian restoration can result in the improvement of habitat for non-target species, such as many terrestrial invertebrates. This project aims to use eDNA to assess aquatic invertebrate assemblages in and outside of stream/riparian restoration projects. In addition, another goal of the project is to examine the response of terrestrial invertebrates to riparian restoration.

 

Student Responsibilities:

The student will work with a team of people in the field to collect terrestrial invertebrates. In some instances, this will require long days conducting fieldwork and involve physical activity such as extensive walking in the field while carrying up to 25 pounds of gear. The field work will take place in remote locations and the student may be required to stay in field station housing or camping for up to a week at a time. The student will also be required to work in the laboratory learning and conducting DNA extraction techniques and preparing terrestrial invertebrate specimens. The laboratory work requires attention to detail, repeatedly conducting tasks (e.g., pinning invertebrate specimens, extracting DNA from multiple samples), and patience. Laboratory work will also include entering data into Excel.  

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

The student accepting this position should have some experience conducting fieldwork and/or spending time outdoors. However, the student is also expected to spend time in the laboratory, learning DNA extraction techniques and terrestrial invertebrate sample preparation. So, some laboratory experience is also preferred. Some experience with Excel is also preferred. 

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

The student will learn how to design and conduct field sampling of invertebrates. The student will also learn laboratory techniques for DNA extraction and museum preparation of terrestrial invertebrates.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: The student will be expected to work 40 hours/week.

Hourly Working Parameters: In some cases, the student will be conducting field work that may require travel to the field site starting before 8am and finishing after 5pm. The student must be prepared to travel outside of the 8am-5pm time frame.

Housing Benefit: On-station housing will be provided while the student works at the Hermiston station. During field work that takes multiple days, housing at field stations will be provided. However, there might be a need for a student to camp during field work.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? No

Pollinator research in eastern Oregon: Documenting insect visitors of culturally significant plants and investigating how watershed management affects riparian and floodplain pollinators

Faculty Mentor: Sandy DeBano

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

Eastern Oregon is home to diverse grasslands, shrub-steppe, forests, and riparian areas. These systems provide key ecosystem services for humans, including wildlife habitat, hunting and recreational opportunities, and timber. These areas also provide critical habitat for pollinators, including native bees. Native bees are not only significant crop pollinators (estimated to pollinate over $3 billion of crops in the US annually), but they also pollinate plants that are culturally important to indigenous people. Increasing our understanding of insects that visit culturally significant plants and how management, including watershed restoration, may influence them is a high priority. This internship focuses on documenting insect visitors of plants that are considered to be “First Foods” by our tribal partners and investigating how watershed restoration influences native bees found in riparian areas and floodplains of eastern Oregon.  

The intern involved with this project will work on two projects focused on native bees in eastern Oregon. The first project involves documenting native bee communities and insect visitors to culturally significant plants at 10 sites in eastern Oregon in collaboration with our tribal partners. The second project focuses on process-based restoration projects (e.g., beaver dam analogs) and how they affect native bee communities in riparian areas and floodplains. This work will take place at five pairs of sites located throughout eastern Oregon where active watershed  restoration is occurring.

The objectives of the projects are to:

  1. document insect visitors to several culturally significant plant species during the growing season;
  2. quantify blooming plant availability and sample native bees at all sites each month, using various methods; and
  3. compare blooming plants and native bees between restored and unrestored floodplains

 

Student Responsibilities:

The intern will be involved in both field and laboratory work. Field work may last all day and involve physical activities such as extensive walking to and among field sites while carrying up to 25 pounds of equipment, collecting bees and other insects using nets and other trapping techniques, and sampling plants. It is anticipated that 30% of the intern’s time will be spent in the field and the remaining time in the laboratory. Most field work will take place at remote locations and may involve staying in field station housing or camping for up to a week at a time. Laboratory work will consist of preparing insect specimens for identification (e.g., washing, drying, pinning, and labeling specimens), organizing insect collections, cataloging plant specimens, and entering data into Excel.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

Although helpful, no previous experience with insects or plants is necessary.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

The intern can expect to learn or further develop existing skills in vegetation sampling, bee sampling methods, laboratory techniques (including bee and plant preparation and preservation), data entry and analysis, and presentation skills in the development of their final project.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 40 hrs/week

Hourly Working Parameters: The student may have to work longer days when field work is being conducted (i.e., start before 8 AM and/or work after 5 PM).

Housing Benefit: Housing at HAREC is provided, which involves sharing a room with another intern.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? No

Mid-Columbia Agricultural Research and Extension Center (MCAREC) - Hood River

Pear, cherry and apple production, postharvest storage and handling, integrated production practices

Research Assistant Hood River Tree Fruit Entomology Lab

Faculty Mentor: Christopher Adams

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

The Adams Tree Fruit Entomology Lab, located at the Mid-Columbia Agricultural Research and Extension Center (MCAREC) in Hood River, has a number of research projects planned in both pear and sweet cherry orchards. We are currently working on two invasive species that impact the tree fruit industry; the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) and Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD). Projects will include understanding and improving trapping and monitoring of these key insects. We are also investigating parasitoid wasps for control of these and other insect pests. Pear psylla is a key pest that pear growers must control. The primary control tactic is promotion and protection of a large complex of natural enemies. We will be trying to understand how we can make this diverse beneficial complex more productive for growers. Western Cherry X Disease is a phytoplasma that lives and replicates in the vascular phloem of infected trees. It is vectored by several species of leafhoppers. We will be conducting leafhopper surveys to determine the species complex and the phenology of these insects in order to better time control measures. Other exciting projects are being developed and the candidate will have an opportunity to work on many novel projects.

 

Student Responsibilities:

The student is expected to learn how to identify insect pests of tree fruit, their predators, and parasitoids. The Student will deploy and check insect monitoring traps and help to collect and process data. Much of this work will be outside in the fresh air, sunshine, and occasional wet weather, so students should enjoy being outdoors working in the field and plan to dress accordingly. Many of these studies will require insects to be identified and counted under the microscope, so quality time at the scope can also be expected. 

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

Working well with others, a positive attitude, attention to detail, love of insects. 

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will see first-hand the challenges of growing quality fresh fruit. Students will gain experience in insect identification, experimental design, data collection and analysis, team work, and the beauty of the Hood River area.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: The student can expect to work 20 - 40 per week.

Hourly Working Parameters: This position does not require special working hours outside a normal work week.

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Central Oregon Agricultural Research and Extension Center - Madras

Irrigated crops, alternative crop production, diseases and pests

Management of Diseases in Central Oregon Seed and Specialty Crops

Faculty Mentor: Jeremiah Dung

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

High value specialty crops are a major component of agriculture in central Oregon. The area is a major producer of carrot seed, supplying over 60% of the hybrid carrot seed planted in the U.S. Central Oregon also produces Kentucky bluegrass seed, peppermint for oil and tea leaf, garlic and onion seed, wheat, seed potatoes, and alfalfa hay and seed. Pests and diseases present a significant challenge to crop production by reducing yields, increasing costs of production, and limiting market acceptability.  

The Plant Pathology Lab at the Central Oregon Agricultural Research and Extension Center (COAREC) is focused on the study and control of plant diseases affecting the high-value specialty crops of the region. We use both traditional and molecular techniques to answer applied and basic questions related to the biology and control of fungal and bacterial plant pathogens, with the goal of developing integrated disease management programs for long-term, sustainable control. Specific research focuses on pathogen detection and quantification, population biology of plant pathogens, spatial and temporal dynamics of plant disease, and identifying environmental factors that contribute to plant disease epidemics. 

The student working on this COAREC Branch Experiment Station (BES) Research Internship will have the opportunity to be involved one or more research projects. Specific research projects will depend on the intern’s interests, academic and career goals, funding availability, and project needs. Research projects planned for Summer 2024 include, but are not limited to, developing in-field diagnostic isothermal assays for Verticillium wilt of peppermint, ergot management in Kentucky bluegrass seed production, detection and management of powdery mildew in carrot seed crops, and the integrated management of carrot bacterial blight.

 

Student Responsibilities:

The intern will assist in plant pathology research under laboratory, greenhouse and field settings. This will include collecting and processing greenhouse and field samples, conducting traditional and/or DNA-based diagnostic or quantitative assays, artificially-inoculating plants, culturing plant pathogens in the lab, and entering/curating data sets.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

Although not required, a background in biology, microbiology, molecular biology, and/or plant pathology (either courses or prior lab experience) would be advantageous for this experiential learning experience. Experience with basic computer software (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) is required.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

The intern will have the opportunity to gain skills related to experimental design, field research (survey and sampling protocols, small plot research), microbiology (aseptic technique and culturing of fungi and/or bacteria), molecular biology (DNA extraction, PCR, gel electrophoresis, quantitative-PCR), and basic plant pathology techniques (inoculating plants, determining disease incidence and severity, soil sampling, and isolating plant pathogens from infected tissues). The intern will learn methods associated with data collection, basic data analyses, and summarizing research results for diverse audiences including growers, industry stakeholders, and the scientific community. 

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: For this internship, the student will be expected to work 40 hours per week, which may include up to 15 hours per week conducting field work.

Hourly Working Parameters: Work hours may vary depending on crop maturity, weather, grower schedules, or other factors that cannot be controlled.

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (COMES) - Newport

Production and use of food products from the ocean and estuaries

Apex Mothers: Using non-invasive techniques to study shark moms

Faculty Mentor: James Sulikowski

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

Are you interested in sharks? Join the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (COMES) Big Fish Lab (BFL) research team  where one of their goals is to study the role of shark moms  in ocean ecosystems. In the BFL, you will be primarily working in a controlled laboratory and field setting (i.e. Dr. Sulikowski's laboratory at Oregon State University). Summer work will be focused on learning and using radioimmunoassay, a technique used to quantify circulating levels of reproductive hormones in female sharks. This technique allows us to determine if a shark is pregnant, which helps us to develop management strategies to protect both mom and her babies from the myriad of assaults they face in the marine environment.  We invite candidates to apply who are energetic, enthusiastic, smart, hardworking, dependable and willing to learn. It will be jawsome. 

 

Student Responsibilities:

  • Work with the members of lab to quantify shark hormone levels using radioimmunoassay
  • Data entry
  • Lab organization
  • Field gear prep
  • Research trips to catch and tag sharks

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  • Experience with data entry, organization, quality control, and management using spreadsheet software
  • Experience with data analysis in R or similar software
  • Experience working in a laboratory setting 
  • Ability to work in an environment that controls for contamination
  • Experience deploying fishing gear from a vessel
  • Experience handling large sharks
  • Experience working with potentially hazardous materials
  • Some knowledge of radioimmunoassay technique 
  • A demonstrable commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity
  • Be SciShield trained (or ability to complete online training prior to starting)

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Proficiency in the use of radioimmunoassay
  • Proficiency in deploying various field gear 
  • Proficiency in organizing and analyzing shark hormone data
  • Gain experience working with diverse individuals 
  • Gain experience in a fast-paced work environment
  • Engage and work with research professionals in various fields 

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: Minimum 30 max 40

Hourly Working Parameters: Weekend field trips and outreach events are expected to occur

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes.

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes.

Summer Research Photographer

Faculty Mentor: James Sulikowski

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

Do you crave adventure photography? Is the ocean always calling your name? Join the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (COMES) research team as their official photographer and storyteller this summer. Since its inception in 1989, the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station (COMES) has been the state’s primary research engine supporting wise use and conservation of marine resources with a primary focus on fisheries, aquaculture, and seafood. Consistent with the College of Agriculture’s mission, COMES works to solve complex problems of productivity, profitability, environmental quality, and human health, and to prepare the next generation of scientists, managers, and leaders in marine resource fields.  

The incumbent will bring the story of COMES to our stakeholders and larger audience through various forms of media including video, photo, and written copy. Each day brings new opportunities to participate in and capture the magic moments of our faculty, staff and student adventures and activities. In addition to taking photos and filming video clips, this position will work closely with a cross-departmental group to collect, manage, and share content with our stakeholders, university marketing, and general public. All collected media will be shared daily on social media platforms, along with the production of weekly COMES content.  The incumbent will join our group to film their activities during lab and field activities.  COMES invites candidates to apply who are energetic, enthusiastic, smart, hardworking, and motivated. Science, adventure, fun – COMES seeks someone who is passionate about our work, willing to seek adventure and able to tell our story to the masses.  

 

Student Responsibilities:

Applicants should already be well-versed in photography/videography and eager to apply their skillset in the context of what COMES represents. The incumbent will partake in shooting product images, portraits, and other special projects, as well as curating images to be used daily for social media posts.  Act as primary photographer for COMES events during the summer, covering Student Conferences (both in-person and online), as well as other events. Shooting for other projects and marketing campaigns, as assigned.  Completely confident with the technical aspects of photography in order to focus on capturing strong, relational images that tell COMES’ story visually.  Meet with members of COMES to discuss specific photo needs for the upcoming summer, including capturing candid photos and setting up intentional photo shoots for marketing campaigns.  Provide photos for social media posts on a frequent basis. Images are often shot, edited, and posted on the same day.  Maintain COMES’ existing process for organizing, tagging, and uploading photos.  Research current photography trends and campaigns, and present novel ideas on how COMES can improve utilization of photography.  Meet weekly with supervisor for feedback, planning, and problem-solving. 

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

Seeking upper-level college students with a passion for photography, the ocean, and conservation. Photographers of all backgrounds will be considered, but all applicants must be comfortable on boats and in the field. Applicants must have a high degree of self-motivation and creativity, as well as enjoy interacting in an educational outreach setting. 

  • Must be at least 18 years old by internship start date;
  • Basic knowledge of post-production workflow such as Adobe Bridge and editing in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop;
  • Adept at creative problem-solving, able to manage time well, responsible for leading projects, and able to work within deadlines;
  • Able to travel and operate independently, as needed;
  • Willing to receive feedback and input;
  • Experience with digital camera operation and photo editing software;
  • Have an interest in, respect for, and ability to work with people with diverse backgrounds, opinions, beliefs, abilities, and experience; 
  • Strong work ethic and will work until the job is complete; 
  • Motivation to contribute positively to the COMES at-large community; 
  • Interpret a variety of instructions provided in written or verbal form; 
  • Multi-task efficiently while managing a high-volume workload in a fast-paced, changing environment; 
  • Demonstrate the ability to be creative and think 'outside the box'; 
  • Strong command of communication, writing, and organizational skills; 
  • Ability to work in a busy environment with many distractions; 
  • Excellent driving record and a valid driver's license; 
  • Must be able to successfully pass a comprehensive background check;
  • Good sense of humor.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Learn best archival and social practices.
  • Gain experience working with diverse individuals and telling their unique research stories.
  • Organize and inventory digital files and physical archival materials.
  • Gain experience in a fast-paced work environment.
  • Engage and work with research professionals in various fields.  

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: Minimum 30 max 40

Hourly Working Parameters: Weekend field trips and  outreach events are expected to occur but will be infrequent

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Seaweed Aquaculture at the Hatfield Marine Science Center

Faculty Mentor(s): Chris Langdon and Ford Evans

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

Specific Duration of Project: Summer term and possibly a couple of additional weeks before the beginning of the fall term.

 

Project Description:

Seaweed aquaculture is an emerging industry on the US West coast. There are significant challenges in the economic development that require additional research. In this project, the selected BES student will work on applications of panel culture of several different red seaweeds. These applications may include feeding sea urchins on a diet of red seaweed as well as examining the potential for offshore aquaculture of red seaweed contained in hanging panels. In addition, the student may have the opportunity to work on other aquaculture projects that involve the effects of ocean acidification and microplastics on oysters. The student will be encouraged to develop his/her own project that will be presented at the end of the summer in a poster.

 

Student Responsibilities:

The student will work under the supervision of staff and researchers at HMSC. Duties will vary according to the needs of the program and the student's project, but will focus on seaweed culture.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

The BES student should be self-motivated and hard working. The student will be working in a team of students, technicians and researchers; therefore, good communication abilities are important. Experience in the cultivation of freshwater or marine organisms is desirable but not required.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

The student will become familiar with marine aquaculture, especially the culture of seaweeds. This will involve learning about and participating in the construction and operation of different culture methods, measurement of production parameters, such as growth. Other more general skills will include experimental design, data analysis and interpretation, production of a poster describing the summer’s research project.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 30 to 40 hours per week

Hourly Working Parameters: Some weekend work may be needed, depending on the student's project and other program needs.

Housing Benefit: Funding for accommodation at HMSC housing will be provided during the internship

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? No

Does an algal diet optimized for larvae effect growth or survival of older life stages of Pacific oyster, Magallana gigas?

Faculty Mentor: Neil Thompson

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

The USDA Pacific Oyster Genomic Selection Project (POGS) produces algae to feed all animals within the program. This includes larvae up to mature adult life stages. An algal diet including Nannochloropsis increases growth rate of larvae, but if that algal diet has an effect on older life stages is unknown. Because the POGS project will simultaneously have numerous life stages of Pacific oyster in the hatchery it is important to understand if any unintentional effects of the larval diet on older life stages. It’s POGS goal to have a single algal diet that can satisfy all life stages of oyster. The goal for this internship is to evaluate if the larval diet has an effect on growth and survival in spat and adults. The student will work closely with the POGS algologist to culture phytoplankton, set up the experiment, conduct the experiment and analyze data.

 

Student Responsibilities:

  • Assist the POGS algologist in culturing phytoplankton, calculating feeding rations and ratios for the experiment.
  • Administer feeds to experimental replicates.
  • Construct and maintain experimental apparatus.
  • Monitor animals, collect data and analyze data.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  • Experience culturing  phytoplankton. and/or aquatic plants
  • Upper-division courses in biology, preferably marine biology or a related marine subject.
  • Experience culturing aquatic animals in a lab, field or experimental setting
  • Enjoys "hands-on" learning experiences - not afraid to get hands wet!
  • Experience with data analysis and/or preparing presentations
  • High attention to detail and conscientious
  • Motivated to learn, experienced troubleshooting systems.
  • Good team player

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

Phytoplankton culturing, bivalve husbandry, data collection, statistical analysis, data visualization, report writing, poster creation.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 40 hrs/week

Hourly Working Parameters: Potential for weekend work while conducting live animal experiments.

Housing Benefit: A bed in the HMSC student housing is reserved for the internship, but the student will be responsible for paying rent for the use of it.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? No

Spatial variation in black rockfish (Sebastes melanops) life history traits from California to Alaska

Faculty Mentor: Cheryl Barnes

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024, Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025

Specific Duration of Project: Flexible start and end dates

 

Project Description:

Contemporary ecology is teeming with studies that work toward understanding climate impacts on animal populations. The lack of comprehensive biological data, however, limits our ability to estimate species responses to their environments. These data limitations are exacerbated for marine fishes that have widespread distributions. For these, we must first understand the impacts of spatial variation on our estimates before we can effectively track changes through time.   Black rockfish (Sebastes melanops) represent a major component of nearshore fisheries from central California to Alaska. Despite this, we do not yet understand how their life history varies across space. This project addresses an important informational void by estimating growth, maturity, and other key traits for black rockfish throughout their natural range. Our research will be used to inform state-based stock assessment models, refine definitions of population structure, and inform regional decision-making. This study will also provide baseline data with which to assess potential impacts of climate change on black rockfish in the future.   We are working closely with state and federal agencies to maximize the utility of our work for fisheries management and benefit the coastal communities that rely on black rockfish for food and/or economic resources. Collaborating agencies include California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) and the Northwest Fisheries Science Center (National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA).  

 

Student Responsibilities:

Internship activities will promote development of the technical skills that are commonly used in marine fisheries science. Specific tasks may involve portside sampling, participating in at-sea surveys, assisting with fish dissections, preparing or ageing otoliths, assessing microscopic maturity, estimating fecundity, recording/entering/summarizing data, and/or conducting preliminary statistical analyses. This project also emphasizes the importance of community engagement, thus interns will regularly interact with fishery stakeholders. 

There may also be opportunities for students to participate remotely or in a hybrid fashion. Activities for remote or hybrid internships may involve performing scientific literature reviews, identifying potential new industry collaborations, synthesizing data, and/or developing new data collection or analytical protocols.  

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

We prioritize one’s potential over experience in order to promote skill development and self confidence in undergraduate students that have not yet had opportunities to participate in scientific research. Prospective students should be organized, detail-oriented, and interested in upholding standardized data collection protocols. A keen interest in fisheries and/or marine science is desired. All necessary training for field- and lab-based work will be provided. BES Research Interns will be directly supervised by a graduate student who will be responsible for day-to-day activities. BES Research Interns will also meet with their faculty mentor on a biweekly basis (more, if requested) and participate in IMF Lab meetings.  

The IMF Lab intentionally seeks out and supports diverse identities, backgrounds, and perspectives — doing so improves the quality of our work and enriches our daily lives. Thus, we strongly encourage those who identify with underrepresented and/or historically marginalized groups to apply.  

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

BES Research Interns will gain valuable, hands-on experience through field- and/or lab-based data collection and other types of project support. Students can expect to learn an assortment of tools and techniques that are commonly used in marine fisheries science. Specifically, BES Research Interns will work with a graduate student to sample and dissect fish, preserve and prepare biological samples for further processing, and collect relevant life history data (e.g., ages, maturity stages, fecundity). Some scientific literature review and/or database management may also be involved. BES Research Interns will primarily work from OSU’s Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC), though there may be opportunities to travel to sampling sites along the US West Coast. 

 

Student Hourly Salary: $16 per hr

Expected Hours/Week: 16-32 hr per wk; varies depending on the time of year

Hourly Working Parameters: Work schedules may be flexible, involve occasional weekends, and/or extend past 5PM, as needed

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? No

Investigating Microplastic Ingestion in Salmon Sharks and Their Prey

Faculty Mentor: Taylor Chapple

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

Microplastics are extremely hard to detect, and very little is known about their movement through marine food webs or the health impacts for the people and organisms that consume them. Entire groups of fish remain understudied, including many large predator species like sharks. Of over 500 shark species, less than 30 species have been examined for microplastics worldwide. Current work suggests that sharks rank highly among predators likely to be heavily impacted by plastics.
This project uses a combination of methods, including stomach content analysis and high-resolution microscopy, to study microplastic consumption and trophic transfer in Salmon Sharks. The goal of this project is to quantify the amount of microplastics consumed by these predators on the Oregon Coast and determine whether there is sufficient evidence to suggest that trophic transfer is the predominant method of plastic consumption in these sharks. In doing so, we also hope to also explore the possible amount of microplastics that may be regularly consumed by humans. Plastics found during the course of this study are possibly transferred to the salmon shark via its prey, which is often comprised of species also consumed by humans (in the case of commercially-fished prey species, like salmon, rockfish, and hake). Any plastics found in these fish have the potential to transfer to human consumers. This project is a collaboration with Ecotox and Environmental Stress Lab and the NOAA A-SHOP program.

 

Student Responsibilities:

The student in this position will be responsible for (with guidance):

  • Sample filtration which involves running dissolved stomach lining and dissolved prey samples through a vacuum filtration system and collecting filters for later microscope analysis.
  • Microscopy which involves analyzing filters under a microscope in a fume hood for microplastic particles and fibers. This also involves the collection and placement of those particles and fibers onto a slide for further analysis and categorization.
  • FTIR spectroscopy which involves analyzing collected fibers and particles using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to classify plastic types

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

No specific prior training is required for this position. However, this project requires attention to detail and the ability to work in an environment that controls for contamination. Experience with data entry, organization, quality control, and management using spreadsheet software, as well as experience working in a laboratory setting with microscopes and potentially hazardous materials is also preferred.

This project is located at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, OR and would require the student to commute to the lab or live at the student housing provided by HMSC for the duration of the internship.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

The student in this internship will learn to collect data on microplastic consumption by sharks and their prey (e.g. hake, salmon, squid) in a laboratory setting through 1) dissection and filtration of salmon shark samples and 2) classification of microplastics using established methods (i.e. microscopy and spectroscopy).

 

Student Hourly Salary: $22/hr

Expected Hours/Week: The minimum expected hours per week is 10 hours and the maximum expected hours per week is 20 hours.

Hourly Working Parameters: It is possible that due to shared space usage with other labs, the student may be asked whether they are able to work on one weekend day of each week. This will depend on space availability and schedules. The student will not be expected to work outside of 8am-5pm.

Housing Benefit: We will not be covering housing, however, the student may apply for housing at Hatfield Marine Science Center.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? No

Malheur Experiment Station - Ontario

Irrigated field crops, vegetable production, weed control

The Effects of Nitrogen Fertilization on Insect Pest Populations in Hemp

Faculty Mentor: Stuart Reitz

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024,Fall 2024

Specific Duration: Depending on weather conditions, harvest may be in late September. The student is welcome to continue work or return to Corvallis as appropriate.

 

Project Description:

Industrial hemp has become a widely grown crop in the US in recent years, with much of the interest focused on production for cannabinoids. One of the greatest challenges facing hemp production is understanding and managing the diverse array of arthropod pests that can attack the crop. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the interactions between nitrogen fertilization and insect pest populations and their effects on hemp yield and quality.   

Nitrogen is a fundamental nutrient requirement for hemp production, but overapplication or underapplication of nitrogen can stress plants and may shift the profile of cannabidiols and other secondary phytochemicals to undesirable levels. Likewise, the survival and development of arthropod herbivores is dependent on the nitrogen and secondary phytochemical content of their host plant. 

A field trial will be conducted at the Malheur Experiment Station testing the effects of three nitrogen fertilization levels (low, medium, high) and two insect management treatments (insecticides, no insecticides). The field trial will be conducted from June to September.  

 

Student Responsibilities:

  1. The student will be responsible for sampling and identifying insect populations in the trial and will measure plant growth characteristics (following training and orientation).
  2. Depending on timing, the student will assist with harvest and preparation of plant samples for chemical analysis.  
  3. The student will record and enter data. 
  4. The student will not be responsible for handling pesticides, but the student will assist station personnel to assure that pesticide and fertilizer applications are made appropriately.
  5. The student will assist with trial maintenance.  
  6. The student will use the Station’s cameras and computers to photograph insect specimens and examples of plant damage for a field guide to aid growers in pest identification. 
  7. The student will be responsible for reporting of results. 
  8. The student will receive hands-on instruction in all of these methods from the mentor (Stuart Reitz) and other personnel at the Experiment Station.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  1. Willingness to learn and ask questions.
  2. Interest in learning about insect identification.
  3. Interest in learning about agricultural field research techniques.
  4. Interest in photography to document insects and their signs of damage
  5. Interest in data analysis

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

  1. Insect identification skills
  2. Experience with experimental design and research skills 
  3. Data collection, data entry and analysis
  4. Basic principles of scientific writing

 

Student Hourly Salary: $14.50/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 20-40 hrs/week

Hourly Working Parameters: No after-hours or weekend work is anticipated.

Housing Benefit: For out of town students, we may be able to provide housing at Treasure Valley Community College.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Monitoring insecticide resistance in onion pests

Faculty Mentor: Stuart Reitz

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

Specific Duration: Research can be conducted over the summer; however, insect populations will peak in July so that will be a critical time for research.

 

Project Description:

Insecticide resistance is a key concern for all farmers. It is an especially critical issue for onion farmers, who have a limited set of insecticides to control onion thrips, the key pest of onions worldwide. Levels of resistance vary by location and time. Documenting the degree of resistance requires testing the response of different populations over time. The student will need to handle small quantities of insecticides following appropriate safety training.  

Through this project, we wish to establish baseline resistance profiles for commonly used insecticides in populations of onion thrips across the Treasure Valley of eastern Oregon and southwest Idaho, which is one of the nation’s largest onion producing regions. The information from this project will help onion growers make informed decisions about their pest management programs.

 

Student Responsibilities:

  1. The student will be responsible for collecting insects from specifically identified commercial onion fields. This will include driving to field sites, proper handling of plants and collection of insects. 
  2. The student will be responsible for setting up experiments, monitoring their progress, and collecting, recording and summarizing data. 
  3. The student may need to maintain colonies of thrips in the laboratory to generate sufficient numbers of test insects. 
  4. The student will receive hands-on instruction in all of these methods from the mentor (Stuart Reitz) and other personnel at the Experiment Station. 

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  1. Willingness to learn and ask questions.
  2. Interest in learning about insect biology, identification and toxicology. 
  3. Interest in preparing simple chemical solutions. 
  4. Interest in establishing and monitoring insect bioassays. 
  5. Interest in learning scientific record keeping, data entry and basics of logistic regression for data analysis.
  6. Ability to use a stereomicroscope.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

  1. Insect identification skills, including collection and colony maintenance techniques.
  2. Skill in use of stereomicroscopes, basic chemical preparation, including use of micropipettes.
  3. Skill in establishing insect bioassays, using techniques for onion thrips developed in the Reitz lab. 
  4. Introduction to logistic regression and other statistical analysis skills to summarize project data.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $14.50/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 40 hrs/week

Hourly Working Parameters: No after-hours or weekend work is anticipated.

Housing Benefit: For out of town students, we may be able to provide housing at Treasure Valley Community College.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Optimizing irrigation scheduling for potatoes through soil moisture sensors network

Faculty Mentor: Udayakumar Sekaran

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

Competition for limited water resources is one of the most critical issues we face today. The ability to make more water available for domestic, agricultural, industrial, and environmental uses will depend on better water resources management. Over the years, research has shown that considerable savings in water and energy can be achieved if sensors are used for irrigation scheduling instead of relying on "the condition of the crop" to make irrigation decisions. Water is a critical input in agricultural production. However, making the most efficient use of irrigation water resources is challenging for farmers since they have to make daily irrigation decisions to adapt to constantly changing weather and crop conditions. In addition, farmers mostly have to rely on experience and local rules of thumb to make important daily decisions regarding if, when, and where to apply irrigation. With current available technology, such as electronic sensors, microcontrollers, and wireless communication, it is possible to develop an affordable system to monitor soil moisture condition in real-time and irrigate the crop with minimum input from the farmer. In Oregon, a reliable, affordable, and easy to use sensor-based water management system is not available to growers, especially potato growers. Making an irrigation management decision using soil moisture sensors network is relatively new in this area; therefore, many farmers are not familiar with proper irrigation scheduling techniques. Furthermore, there is a need for a soil moisture monitoring system that is affordable and reported data from sensors to cloud-based systems and devices, allowing producers to assess irrigation needs remotely using a handheld device. Farmers in Eastern Oregon, especially potato growers are also not aware of the moisture threshold limit to get higher yield and increase water use efficiency. Soil moisture sensors-based irrigation scheduling has a potential to increase economic and environmental benefits. This project intends to develop an affordable soil moisture sensor network and identify optimum threshold limit for the potato in Eastern Oregon. 

 

Student Responsibilities:

  • Data Collection
  • Building soil moisture monitoring system
  • Trouble shooting 
  • Plant health assessment
  • Water and soil sample collection

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

Experience in data entry in Excel and Word documents

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

The student will learn about building a wireless soil moisture sensors network and monitoring soil moisture in real time. They will get hands-on training on installing soil moisture sensors and learn about troubleshooting.  They will learn how to collect soil and water samples for nutrient analysis and interpret soil, water, and plant analysis results.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $14.20/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 40 hrs/week

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center (CBARC) - Pendleton

Dryland cereal cropping systems, tillage and soil management, alternative crops

Precision Mechanical and Chemical Weed Control

Faculty Mentor: Judit Barroso

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

The goal of the project will be to compare a precision tillage equipment, called WeedChipper, with a precision chemical equipment, called WeedIT, and both with a traditional practice to control weeds in fallow fields. The two precision devices are based on the same type of optical sensors to detect weeds. The WeedIT sprayer, when the sensor detects green, it triggers a nozzle that sprays herbicide controlling the weed chemically and the WeedChipper, when the sensor detects green, it triggers a tine that tills the soil and controls the weed mechanically.  The equipment comparison will be conducted with a field experiment where the student will evaluate the weed infestation before and after the control to provide the efficacy of both precision devices compared to the uniform control.  In addition to this research in the field, where the student will learn to recognize different problematic weed species in the region and different ways to control them. The student is expected to be involved in other on-going research projects in the weeds program at CBARC that will provide them with lab, greenhouse, and growth chamber experiences as well.

 

Student Responsibilities:

For this project, the student will be expected to spend about 10-12 hours per week outdoors and about 28-30 hours per week indoors. Among the different tasks where the student is expected to help are:

  1. Participate in weed samplings in the field.
  2. Participate in seed germination tests in growth chamber to evaluate weed seed viability.
  3. Help with sample collection and processing in the lab, greenhouse and in the field.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  • An interest in Agronomy and/or in Weed Science is desirable.
  • Experience working with a spreadsheet (like the ‘Excel’ software) will help to develop some of the activities, but it is not required.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

The student can expect to learn:

  • The efficacy of precision farming equipment to control weeds.
  • Some knowledge on the ecology of Russian thistle (Salsola tragus), prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola) and downy brome (Bromus tectorum), among other weed species.
  • To recognize important weed species in dryland.
  • To be familiar with seedlings, adult plants, and seeds of different weed species.
  • New practices to control weeds in wheat cropping systems, but particularly in fallow fields.
  • Differences between research conducted in a growth chamber, greenhouse, or in the field.
  • Some notions to analyze data and interpret results.
  • Knowledge and experiences on applied weed science.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: up to 40 hrs/week

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? No

Utilizing cover crops to enhance sustainability and profitability of dryland wheat production system

Faculty Mentor: Christina Hagerty

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024, Fall 2024, Winter 2025, Spring 2025

 

Project Description:

The main objectives of this project to determining the appropriate cover crops for dryland wheat production system in the Inland Pacific Northwest. The project will focus on evaluating the impacts of cover crops on weed control, soil fertility and nutrient cycling, soil health, and yield of wheat crop.

 

Student Responsibilities:

We are looking for a student intern to work with our lab team throughout the summer and month of September. The student intern will be expected to spend 20-35 hours per week outdoors and up to 20 hours per week in an indoor lab/greenhouse. He/she will be working directly with other lab members to develop project work plans as part of a general research effort in the program. Students will have opportunity to engage in many on-going projects and we can accommodate if the student has specific interests (e.g. Seeking lab experience? Seeking field work experience? Seeking data management and preliminary data analysis skills?). 

  1. Help in preparing labels and sample bags.
  2. Do plant and soil sampling, evaluate root biomass and disease scoring
  3. Help managing research plots
  4. Weigh the plant biomass and grains from the plots and enter the data in excel.
  5. Help in harvesting
  6. Help maintain a clean and safe working environment 

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  • Interest in science/agronomy and farm experience is desirable. 
  • Required skills: Timeliness, good attitude, attention to detail, able to work in hot/dry/dusty conditions.
  • Work will be challenging but gratifying. 

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

Student will gain full exposure to agronomic research methods. He/she will learn how to manage research plots, collect and organize data. We can teach them preliminary data analysis skills if they are interested. Student will also learn about the key agronomic principles and general crop management practices throughout the growing season. Moreover, students will gain hands-on experience in plant and soil samplings for determining plant and soil health status, crop scouting, and pest management. Students will be able to directly interact with experienced and passionate researchers and can learn technical and leadership skills from them. 

 

Student Hourly Salary: $18/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 40 hrs/wk

Hourly Working Parameters: Most weeks we work 7:30 – 4:00 pm Monday-Friday. However, student may be asked to work 10 hours in some days within a 40-hour workweek.  

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Food Innovation Center (FIC) - Portland

Food procession and packaging technology, food product development and marketing, consumer analysis

Hands on experience working at the Food Innovation Center in Product and Process Development, and shelf-life testing

Faculty Mentor: Marcia Walker

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

Summers at the Food Innovation Center are filled with a variety of projects focused on product development or research of food products.  This summer internship will include working in the R&D lab on product formulation, process development and quality testing.  Hands-on experience with real client projects of the Food Innovation Center.  Student interns will become part of the team at the FIC and coordinating projects with the food scientists The FIC is a laboratory that includes:  A large central kitchen, Sensory and Consumer Research Lab, Focus Group Lab, Food Safety lab and Product Development Lab, Analytical Lab.  Work will be performed in each of the labs depending upon what you have been asked to work on.   

 

Student Responsibilities:

  • Summer interns will be responsible for managing the tasks assigned by their mentors. 
  • General food science lab analysis, including pH, water activity, and refractometer readings. 
  • Lab and kitchen clean up and general organization.
  • Guided bench-top formulation work. 
  • Product evaluation for flavor, texture and other important characteristics will be part of the testing. 
  • The student intern will gain excellent real-world, hands-on skills in dealing with clients. 
  • Students will be responsible for reporting these results to FIC staff upon completion of their internship.
  • Generally, interns will be on their feet most of the day, some computer work will be required, little or no travel will be required.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

An interest in food product development and general food science with excellent communication and computer skills is preferred.  Use of computer, and basic lab skills, dishwashing, and organizational skills will be required.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

The intern will leave the summer internship with a broad knowledge of product and process development, sensory and consumer research, and basic project management skills

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 40 hrs

Hourly Working Parameters: There may be an opportunity to work on a weekend, but this is not common, there may also be after hours work, but this is not common.

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? No

Food microbiology research at the Food Innovation Center

Faculty Mentor: Jovana Kovacevic

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

Specific Duration of Project: Can be up to 20 weeks, starting in Summer 2024.

 

Project Description:

The primary focus of the Food Microbiology Research Laboratory at the Oregon State University- Food Innovation Center is the application of molecular methods and genomics in food safety. In particular, we research how these methods and tools can be used to improve pathogen tracing, to advance our understanding of pathogen behavior and contamination events in the farm-to-fork chain, and to aid the development of targeted interventions.  Foodborne pathogens represent a large economic burden to the food industry and a significant health risk to the general population. The individual selected to work in the lab will assist with food microbiology research projects in our program, including working with Listeria species, and projects related to food safety outreach to food industry.  

 

Student Responsibilities:

Day to day activities may include preparing microbiological media, keeping the lab stocked and clean, assisting in data collection and analyses, and assisting with presentation and manuscript preparation. Student will also be involved in data organization and analyses, creating fact sheets, infographics, and other supplemental materials, and attending webinars and writing summaries on topics that are current and relevant to food safety issues.  For this project, the student intern will be expected to spend 35-40 h per week working on the project. The student intern will receive training required to work in a biosafety level 1 and 2 microbiology laboratories, and will be expected to handle potentially pathogenic microorganisms, such as Listeria monocytogenes. The student intern may also be involved in developing and updating standard operating procedures (SOPs), and writing of abstracts/posters for participation in seminars and/or conferences. At the end of the internship, the student will give a presentation of their project to FIC staff, FIC graduate students, and invited guests.   

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  • Previous microbiology laboratory experience and application of aseptic techniques is preferred. 
  • Experience and interest in bioinformatics, and advanced writing skills are desirable. 

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this position, the intern should expect to have gained experience with aseptic technique, preparing microbiological media, using an autoclave, micropipetting, working with microorganisms, and data organization and analyses related to food microbiology and food safety outreach. The intern may also gain experience in scientific writing, preparing extension-style publications, and website design and maintenance. 

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 35 to 40 hr per week.

Hourly Working Parameters: For lab-based projects, occasionally, the intern may have to come on a weekend to read results, or refrigerate their experiments; however, this will depend on student’s experimental planning and time management. Overall, weekend work is discouraged.

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? Yes

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? No

Hands on experience working at the Food Innovation Center: Ice Cream Manufacturing Using Low-Calorie Sugars

Faculty Mentor: Zeynep Atamer

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024,Fall 2024

 

Project Description:

In this project, the aim is to design and produce an ice cream with reduced sweetness. This summer internship will include working in manufacturing of ice cream with different variety of rare sugars using a batch ice cream machine in research lab at the Food Innovation Center (FIC), sensory testing, and product and process development work. Produced ice cream samples stored at different time periods will be analyzed by the sensory penal created through the FIC.

 

Student Responsibilities:

Analysis, including: pH, water activity, and refractometer readings. Lab and kitchen clean up and general organization. Guided bench-top formulation work. The intern will design ice cream mix by using a variety of rare sugars obtained from the project partners and produce ice cream samples. To produce samples, a batch ice cream machine will be used and the intern will be trained by his/her mentors to use the machine. Furthermore, the intern will work on the sensory analysis of the produced samples and together with the mentor prepare the related sensory questionary. This project will be conducted with the support of Oregon Ice Cream Co. and therefore, the intern will attend the organized meetings to discuss the experimental design and obtained results. It is expected to evaluate the results and prepare a report on the achieved experimental results. The student intern will gain excellent hands-on skills in manufacturing of ice cream and administering sensory tests from beginning to end. Students will be responsible for reporting these results to FIC staff upon completion of their internship.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

An interest in food product development and general food science with excellent communication and computer skills is preferred. Use of computer, and basic lab skills, dishwashing, and organizational skills will be required.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

The intern will leave the summer internship with a broad knowledge of ice cream production, structure, sweeteners, product and process development, sensory and consumer research, and basic project management skills

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 40 hrs/week

Hourly Working Parameters: There may be an opportunity to work on a weekend, but this is not common, there may also be after hours work, but this is not common.

Housing Benefit: We do not offer a housing benefit. But the student with the help of the mentee can apply to BUILD Dairy for support.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? No

Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center (EOARC) - Union

Rangeland ecology, livestock management, wildlife

Ecology, monitoring and restoration of culturally-significant plants in Eastern Oregon

Faculty Mentor: Bryan Endress

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

Many forb species of the grassland, shrubland and dry forest ecosystems of the interior Pacific Northwest are important to the health, diet, and culture of Indigenous people of the region.  However, information on the status, trends, and health of many food plants is lacking and little is known about how invasive species, changing fire regimes, livestock grazing, or land management actions (fuels reduction, stand thinning, prescribed fire etc.) affect forb abundance. We developed a monitoring protocol to address this knowledge gap for the Blue Mountains and Columbia Plateau ecoregions of northeast Oregon.  A collaborative group including tribal, university, agency, and non-governmental organization partners developed the protocols. Protocols utilize permanent plots to measure and track density and frequency of 17 culturally important species and record important site characteristics. Plots are established in areas of concern or interest as identified by tribal partners and land managers, as well as at sites with planned management actions. Plots are sampled prior to treatment which provides pre-treatment data and the ability to monitor forb responses following treatments. Data are used to inform management, restoration, and conservation efforts.

 

Student Responsibilities:

  • Conduct field work  to collect ecological data as well as native seeds in support of the project.
  • Enter data on tablets, upload, and proofread.
  • Maintain detailed records and notes.
  • Contribute to a positive work environment.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  • Strong desire to learn
  • Ability to work well with others
  • Experience working in natural areas (forest, rangelands, etc.) in warm, rugged conditions
  • Previous coursework in ecology, natural resources, traditional ecological knowledge or botany

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Establish monitoring plots to collect ecological and natural resource data
  • Measure plant, vegetation, and soil parameters
  • Collect and process native seeds for restoration

 

Student Hourly Salary: $16/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 40 hrs/week

Hourly Working Parameters: We generally work (but not always), 4- 10 hour days (M-TH), with Friday-Sunday off; most days are outside rain (snow) or shine!

Housing Benefit: Yes, housing options available at EOARC-Union or nearby.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Characterizing mule deer habitat and forage availability across montane landscapes of Eastern Oregon

Faculty Mentor: Bryan Endress

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024

 

Project Description:

Join a research team focused on measuring mule deer forage availability and quality across complex montane landscapes of eastern Oregon. The project integrates geospatial data with field-collected information on forage availability and quality, vegetation structure and composition, disturbance events, and other biophysical landscape attributes. This project is part of a collaboration between Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center - Union focused on better understand factors impacting mule deer populations in Eastern Oregon.

 

Student Responsibilities:

  • Conduct field work to collect vegetation and other ecological data across subalpine, forest, and rangeland ecosystems.
  • Enter data on tablets, upload, and proofread.
  • Maintain detailed records and notes.
  • Contribute to a positive work environment.

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

  • Strong desire to learn
  • Ability to work well with others
  • Experience in plant identification, experience camping and working in natural areas (forest, rangelands, etc.) in warm, rugged conditions
  • Previous coursework in ecology, natural resources or botany

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

  • Establish monitoring plots to collect ecological and natural resource data.
  • Measure plant, vegetation, and soil parameters.
  • Effectively work as part of a multidisciplinary research team.

 

Student Hourly Salary: $16/hr

Expected Hours/Week: 40 hrs/week

Hourly Working Parameters: Generally we work 4- 10 hour days (M-TH), with Friday-Sunday off; most days are outside, rain (snow) or shine! Fieldwork entails camping at US Forest Service (or similar) campsites during many work weeks (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings); camping gear, field gear and vehicles are provided.

Housing Benefit: Yes, housing is available at EOARC Union or at Starkey Experimental Forest and Range.

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? Yes

Modeling impacts of drought and heatwaves on plant germination and establishment: Adding realistic responses into an existing individual-based model

Faculty Mentor: Trace Martyn

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024,Fall 2024,Winter 2025,Spring 2025

 

Project Description:

Dryland ecosystems are those that are limited by water availability but make up about 40% of the global landmass. Grasslands (a dryland ecosystem) alone support about 30% of global meat and dairy production and support at least 1/8th of the world population. At least 30% of Eastern Oregon – which supports a number of Oregon’s Agricultural and Natural commodities – is considered a dryland ecosystem. Native plants species in these ecosystems are limited by a suite of abiotic and biotic processes such as resource limitation and competition for resources. Climate change and disturbance can further affect these species through shifts or reductions in resource availability and changing competitive interactions. In addition, climate change is likely to further limit species establishment through extreme climate events (such as drought and heatwave) that inhibit germination and increase seedling death. To accurately describe impacts of projected changes in climate on plant species in dryland ecosystems, we need to create biologically realistic models.  

Tools such as individual‐based simulation models can help us quantify the impacts of climate change and altered disturbance regimes. STEPWAT2 is an established individual plant‐based simulation model that simulates water movement in the soil as well as plant growth of different species within a simulated plant community (https://github.com/DrylandEcology/STEPWAT2) (https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2394). This model has been used on a number of published papers on climate change impacts on big sagebrush plant communities from researchers at a number of institutions around the US and world. The existing model however, is limited in its ability to accurately simulate plant establishment and the potential impacts of extreme weather events such as heatwaves and drought.

This project has two goals: (1) to improve germination and establishment simulation in the STEPWAT2 model and (2) simulate drought and heatwave impacts to germination/survival. For this project, we would use species from sagebrush ecosystem to test the changes and run simulations for this ecosystem (one that covers nearly ¼ of Oregon’s land area).

 

Student Responsibilities:

The student would be expected to pull the existing model from GitHub and work on implementing the above goals. Day-to-day work would be at the discretion of the student, but the student would be expected to meet once a week with the Faculty Mentor to go over their progress and design next-steps for the coming week.   Initially, it is expected that the student would need time to get acquainted with the structure and running of the model. Then after this, the student would be expected to make changes congruent with the goals of this project and test those changes to the model for any errors. If interested, the student would have the opportunity to run the model to answer research questions for publication.  

This work is critical to ongoing work on climate impacts at the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center – Union (EOARC – Union). However, because of the nature of this work, this internship could be done remotely. 

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

The student would need sufficient experience in C/C++ to understand the model and implement changes. The Faculty Mentor has used the model but has limited C/C++ experience so the student would need enough experience to make changes, test, and debug. Experience in R and GitHub would also be preferred. The extended STEPWAT team has a number of researchers/coders that could be available to the student assist with specific questions if needed.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

This project is designed to build skills and experience C/C++ coding, model building, and working with ecological data. The student would work closely with the Faculty Mentor to design and implement model components that would accurately simulate ecological processes. In addition, the student would gain skills on collaborative working as part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers at USGS, Marshall University, Yale University, and Northern Arizona University.  

 

Student Hourly Salary: $18/hr

Expected Hours/Week: Up to 8-10 hrs a week – depending on student availability.

Hourly Working Parameters: There is no expectation for the student to work weekends or odd hours.

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing (this could be a remote internship)

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? No

An aspirin for restoration plants: Testing the application of salicylic acid for improving seed-based restoration resiliency

Faculty Mentor: Trace Martyn

Project Term Availability: Summer 2024,Fall 2024,Winter 2025,Spring 2025

Specific Duration: There are no specific dates within the terms. Germination trials are likely to last throughout fall, winter, and spring quarters.

 

Project Description:

In dryland ecosystems globally, seed-based restoration is commonly used to improve disturbed landscapes, especially in rangeland systems. While seed-based methods can be effective, successful re-establishment of desired species can be highly variable with complete failure occurring because of numerous abiotic and biotic drivers.  

Current barriers to plant establishment are likely to intensify with changes in climatic conditions, which will exacerbate failures in seed-based restoration efforts in many ecosystems. A way to reduce climate stress is through the usage of different seed technologies. One such technology, application of salicylic acid (a principal component of aspirin), has been tested on crops and has been found to relieve a number of stressors such as heat, drought, and cold. This technology has been tested only once, to our knowledge, in a restoration context on three Australian grasses. The results of this initial study are promising but further testing is needed to understand how effective this technology could be for restoration purposes.  

This project directly explores the impact of temperature on germination and how salicylic acid can relieve stress brought about by hot or drought conditions. The objectives of this study are: (1) Understand the influence of temperature on germination of 15 restoration species used in Oregon rangelands; and (2) Explore how salicylic acid priming can help relieve climate stress during germination and establishment, improving restoration success.  

 

Student Responsibilities:

Day-to-day student activities would depend on their interests and the status of the project. The student would work closely with the Faculty Mentor to assure that they can fit the work within their schedule and be able to work on what aspects of the project they are interested it.  

This project has two phases: germination and greenhouse phase.  

  • During the germination phase, student activities would include setting up and monitoring germination (every 2-3 days) as well as collecting traits after germination. Germination will be conducted on the thermogradient table housed at the Union Experiment Station for each of the species with and without salicylic acid treatment. After the germination trial, we are collecting functional traits on the germinants using a scanner and WinRhizo software also at the Union Experiment Station. This would include cleaning and preparing samples for scanning and then processing the scans for trait data collection. Work during this phase would be 6-10 hrs a week depending on availability to get out to the Experiment Station. 
  • During the greenhouse phase, student activities would be focused on experiment setup, weekly watering/checking, and experiment take-down/sample collection. When initially setting up the experiment, this would include 4-8 hrs over a few days for planting and drip-system setup. After planting, student activities would include checking in on the plants once or twice a week to assure they are getting watered and documenting emergence success/survival. This would be 3-4 hrs a week for perhaps 6 weeks. At the end of the experiment, student activities would be to assist in collecting samples, measuring traits, and cleaning up the experiment/greenhouse. This would take up to 4 hrs a day for a few sequential days as to assure we get everything done. 
  • At the conclusion of either of these phases the student would have the opportunity to work on data cleaning, analysis, and manuscript writing if they are interested. 

 

Preferred Skills/Experiences:

Students should be willing to be a dedicated member of the project team. The student must have somewhat regular availability in their schedule and be able to communicate effectively with the Faculty Mentor and any collaborators if any schedule conflict or issue should arise. This project will be implemented at the experiment station in Union, OR, so the student must be able to drive to the experiment station.  Experience with plant propagation would be a plus but not required. If the student is interested in data analysis, some statistics or coding skills would also be a good to have some experience in. 

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

This project is designed to build skills and experience in plant propagation and functional trait collection and analysis. Depending on the student’s interests they will gain skills such as:

  • Using a thermogradient table for germination trials
  • Priming seeds with salicylic acid
  • Designing and implementing a greenhouse drought experiment
  • Measuring functional traits including height, biomass, SLA, LDMC
  • Preparing and scanning samples into the WinRhizo software system
  • Data entry and management
  • Collecting data on ipads using Survey 123
  • Data analysis/Statistics
  • Scientific manuscript preparation

 

Student Hourly Salary: $15/hr

Expected Hours/Week: Up to 12 hrs per week during intensive sampling periods but more commonly 4-8 hrs a week. Hours will vary depending on available work and student interest in different aspects of the research. See Student Responsibilities section for more specific information.

Hourly Working Parameters: In busy times, it might be likely that this project will include weekend work. The student would be invited to join in this work if available but would not be expected to assist during odd hours.

Housing Benefit: None, student responsible for own housing

Will the student have interaction with minors or access to hazardous chemicals, as student will need to complete a criminal background check? No

Will the student be operating vehicles or farm equipment /machinery, as they will need to submit driving record? No

For questions and information, contact:

Rachel Jones, CAS Student Engagement Coordinator
Email rachel.jones@oregonstate.edu 
541-737-7410