Summer 2025 REEU
During Summer 2025, the Department of Agricultural Biology will be hosting students for an REEU, or Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates!
If you are interested in applied agricultural research and extension, you should apply!
This opportunity will allow you to immerse yourself in eight weeks of research and extension experience.
Questions? Reach out to Dr. Ada Szczepaniec, a.szczepaniec@colostate.edu!
Application Information
Access the application document here
How to submit your application:
- Fill out the information requested in the application document. Draft short statements to address your research experiences, interests, and personal experiences that shaped your career goals.
- Share copies of your current transcripts and two letters of recommendation.
- Compile all documents into a single PDF.
- Email your application to Dr. Ada Szczepaniec, a.szczepaniec@colostate.edu, by April 7th, 2025.
REEU Program Details
The program is a Research and Extension Experience for Undergraduates (REEU) focused on Applied Research and IPM (integrated pest management) for Dryland Systems (ARIDS).
The REEU has a duration of eight weeks, beginning on June 2, 2025 and ending July 25, 2025.
You will be provided:
- Lodging and food
- Reimbursement for your travel costs to the Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins, Colorado
- A stipend of $5,000
Once you are accepted into the program, you will be matched with a faculty member best aligned with your research interests and engage in applied research and/or extension during the eight-week program.
You will present the results of your work at the end of the program.
Program Focus Areas
Entomology:
- Applications of entomopathogenic fungi in suppressing a stem-boring pest of quinoa
- Mechanisms of quinoa resistance to a key pest
- Insect diversity-productivity relationships in rangelands
- Integrated pollinator management in urban landscapes
- Modern techniques in plant-pest interactions (e.g., RNAi)
Plant Pathology:
- Molecular virus-host interactions in wheat
- Disease surveillance and diagnostics in wheat
- Modern techniques in plant-pathogen interactions (e.g., disease resistance screening, mapping of loci and molecular mechanisms, recombinant viruses)
Plant Molecular Biology:
- Characterization of aphid salivary effectors in wheat, sorghum, or potato under drought stress
- Gene expression analysis of drought stress on crop responses on a diurnal scale
- Developing CRISPR technology to modify aphid and host genes involved in crop (wheat, sorghum, or potato) colonization
- Techniques used: DNA and RNA extraction using the Opentron OT-2 robot, PCR and qRT-PCR, plant and aphid bioassays, and CRISPR
Weed Science:
- Developing novel weed management tools in wheat
- Effect of environment on herbicide metabolism
- Optimizing CoAXium wheat production system
Data Science:
- Drone and satellite imaging spectroscopy, image processing, machine learning
- Geospatial science, crop type mapping
- High-throughput plant phenotyping
- Spectral detection and characterization of crop diseases
- Spectral characterization of wheat herbicide tolerance
Faculty Mentors











Dr. Vamsi Nalam
Plant Molecular Biology
Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology and Plant Pathology

Dr. Phuong Dao
Data Science
Assistant Professor, Hyperspectral Remote Sensing & Agricultural Intelligence