Integrative Seed Biology is a NSF-funded seed biology program in the Department of Horticulture at Oregon State University. The program consists of research and learning activities on plant seeds. This website introduces you to our research projects and useful information on seeds.     Home   Comments or Questions   National Science Foundation

The Integrative Seed Biology Program provides opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in research projects. The undergraduate students in this program have shown excellent productivities in their projects. Following are the highlights of their activities.

2008 HHMI  Undergraduate Summer Research grant!

	Natalya Goloviznina Undergraduate researcher		Theresa Nguyen Undergraduate researcher

Congratulations Natalya and Theresa!

2007 HHMI  Undergraduate Research Presentation Awards!

Tammy Chan and Jennifer Coppersmith in the Integrative Seed Biology program were selected as Runner-Up speakers at the 2007 OSU Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Summer Undergraduate Research Presentation Meeting
Tammy Chan		Jennifer Coppersmith
Congratulations, Jen and Tammy!

		Poster award at the Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing Meeting 2007!
		Jennifer Coppersmith
		Congratulations, Jen!

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Undergraduate Summer Research grant 2007!
Jennifer Coppersmith			Tammy Chan
Congratulations, Jen and Tammy!

Summer Research in Germany 2006!
			Jing was awarded the RISE (Research Internships in Science and Engineering) grant coordinated by DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst/German Academic Exchange Service) and experienced summer research in Germany (2006).
	Freiburg, Germany		Jing Sun

Experiencing both science and foreign culture

Awarded the Oregon State University, Department of Microbiology Scholarship 2006-2007

 Jing Sun (undergraduate)

	First poster presentation at CGRB meeting (2006)     Kyung Hong  undergraduate student

Waldo-Cummings Outstanding Student Award Recipient 2006!

In the All-University Student Recognition & Award Banquet (May 24, 2006), Jing Sun (undergraduate) was selected as a Waldo-Cummings Outstanding Student Award Recipient. Congratulations!

Selected as a College of Science Ambassador 2006-2007!

                     Jing Sun (undergraduate)

Learned tissue sectioning and DIC (Differential Interference Contrast) microscopy (2006)

	Kyung Hong  undergraduate student		DIC image of Arabidopsis embryo		Stained seed section

The 2005 HHMI Runner-Up Speaker

			Jing Sun (undergraduate)
Received double awards for undergraduate summer research!
The 2005 Ernest and Pauline Jaworski Fund for Summer Research Experiences for Underserved Undergraduates in Plant Science (Jing Sun)
The 2005 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Summer Research Award! (Jing Sun)

		Selected as a Top Speaker in the 2004 HHMI Symposium at Oregon State University!
	Jessica R. Hewitt
	Invited to the Horticulture Departmental Seminar Series                           Jessica R. Hewitt

Poster presentations in the 2004 American Society of Plant Biologists Annual Meeting (Florida)

		Tanja M. Homrichhausen (undergraduate student)
	Homrichhausen TM, Liu P-P, Nonogaki H (2004) Tissue-specific expression of a protein phosphatase 2C in germinated Arabidopsis seeds.
		Jessica R. Hewitt (undergraduate student)
	Hewitt JR , Liu P-P, Nonogaki H. (2004) Testa and endosperm rupture in germinating Arabidopsis seeds.

We received the 2004 Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Undergraduate Summer Research Award!

Presentations in the 29th Annual West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference (WCBSUR) (San Diego, 2004)

Hewitt JR, Liu P-P, Nonogaki H. (2004) Physiological roles of the endosperm in Arabidopsis seed germination.

Homrichhausen TM, Liu P-P, Nonogaki H. (2004) Screening of Arabidopsis enhancer-trap lines for genes expressed in seeds.

Point Loma Nazarene University Campus, San Diego		Presentation at the WCBSUR meeting

We received National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduate (NSFREU) grant! (2003)

We as sophomores have already published one paper in the refereed journal! (2003)

We conducted research on carrot seeds when we were freshmen. We isolated a new mannanase gene (DcMAN1) using reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and characterized the function of this gene in the completion of embryogenesis in imbibed carrot seeds. Our first paper has been published in Seed Science Research, the official journal of the International Society for Seed Science (ISSS).

 Homrichhausen TM, Hewitt JR, Nonogaki H. 2003. Endo-b-mannanase activity is associated with the completion of embryogenesis in imbibed carrot (Daucus carota L.) seeds. Seed Science Research 13: 219-227. 

Poster presentation in the 2003 American Society of Plant Biologists Annual Meeting (Honolulu)!

Homrichhausen TM, Hewitt JR, Nonogaki H. 2003. Endo-b-mannanase activity and completion of embryogenesis in imbibed carrot (Daucus carota L.) seeds.

We obtained the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) Travel Grant to go to Honolulu, Hawaii (2003)!

We received the 2003 Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Undergraduate Summer Research Award!

    Undergraduate Student: Jessica R. Hewitt 

    Undergraduate Student: Tanja M. Homrichhausen

We learned Northern blotting as freshmen! (2002)

We learned RNA extraction and Northern blotting as soon as we started at the seed biology lab. We are using these techniques for tomato and Arabidopsis seed research.

We can construct DNA vectors! (2001)

We learned basic techniques in molecular biology such as, DNA miniprep, bacterial transformation, too. We can construct vectors for RNA probe synthesis and reporter gene cassettes.

Acknowledgement

 This presentation and travel were also supported by the National Science Foundation grant IBN-0237562

to Hiro Nonogaki