Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)

This program is designed to provide future engineers and scientists with the skills and perspective necessary to address some of the world’s future food and fiber needs. Ten selected students each year will be paired with a faculty advisor and a graduate student mentor at the team institutions. The students will perform research on adaptive management, attend seminars on topics related to sustainability and professional development, and work on a project related to water-limited crop and animal production systems. Summer 2021 REU research projects are listed below.

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Program Dates

June 2 - August 6, 2021​

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Application Opens

October 19, 2020

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Application Deadline

February 12, 2021

Participants will receive

• $9000 stipend (inclusive of travel and room and board), paid in several installments over the summer

• Hands-on research experience in a transdisciplinary team

• Mentorship by a RAIN team faculty member

Eligibility

• Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents.

• Applicants should have a 2.5 or greater undergraduate GPA.

• Graduating seniors are not eligible for the program.

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Additional Required Materials

• Attached to application

  • Unofficial transcripts from your university coursework

  • A one page resume of academic and working experience; and

• A letter of reference or recommendation (Emailed to ambercampbell@ksu.edu with the subject "REU Reference for FIRSTNAME LASTNAME" )

Research Projects

The RAIN REU is a competitive program. Accepted participants will be matched with a research mentor and project based on their interests. Projects available for the 2021 RAIN REU program are listed below.

Soil Water Management

Dr. Andres Patrignani
Kansas State University

This project aims to convert field-scale soil moisture information into actionable in-season farming decisions. Use state-of-the-art soil moisture instrumentation, gain exposure to field data collection of soil moisture data, learn multiple laboratory methods for analyzing soil physical properties, and an opportunity to expand your skills in geospatial data analysis.

Cropping Systems & Soil Health

Dr. Tyson Ochsner
Oklahoma State University

Changes to cropping systems can impact soil health by altering soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in complex and unexpected ways. This project will evaluate cropping system impacts on soil health and to establish a baseline for future soil health assessments to assess long-term changes in existing field experiments in Oklahoma and Kansas. Soil samples will be collected and analyzed for soil organic carbon, total N, bulk density, aggregate stability, and water holding capacity.

Remote Sensing for Precision Agriculture

This project will entail conducting routine in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flights, image processing, and/or geographical analysis such as object-based image analysis (OBIA) and raster-based analysis.

Dr. Travis Witt
USDA Grazinglands Research Laboratory

Plant Genetics and Physiology

Dr. Travis Witt
USDA Grazinglands Research Laboratory

As the climate becomes more variable and rainfall more erratic, seedling establishment will become more crucial in determining the success of summer cover crops. This project will use a lab/greenhouse experiment to quantify and compare germination responses to available moisture and include computer algorithm development.

Weed-Crop Interactions

Dr. Anita Dille
Kansas State University

How do weed species grow and reproduce when in mixture with different crop canopies? Does this impact their future seed production? Through documenting the weed species that emerge and occur across several field studies with different crops, we will document changes in plant growth and biomass, and predict seed production, to know what their future impact will be.

Soil Microbiology in Dryland Cropping Systems

Dr. Charles Rice
Kansas State University

Conduct research on soil health and nutrient dynamics in dryland cropping systems. Evaluate the effect of cover crops and no-tillage in the soil microbial community composition, enzyme activity, and aggregate stability. Identify the microbial mechanisms driving soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics. Help to provide technical assistance that will help growers and their advisors make decisions that will result in positive changes for the profitability of their operations and the sustainability of the soil.

Soil Evaporation

Dr. Eduardo Santos
Kansas State University

Work with novel instrumentation to quantify soil evaporation. The student will have opportunity to build, test and deploy dual heat pulse probes to quantify soil moisture near the soil surface. He/she will also learn about microprocessors and data acquisition systems, heat pulse probe data processing and algorithms to estimate soil evaporation.

Forage Systems

Dr. Alexandre Rocateli
Oklahoma State University

Reduced-lignin alfalfa cultivars are a promising alternative for maximizing forage yield while maintaining forage quality. The objectives are to i) quantify the effects of cutting management in conventional and reduced-lignin alfalfa cultivars on forage yield, forage quality, and water-use efficiency. The student involved in this research will be exposed to forage yield sampling techniques (destructive and non-destructive methods), soil water measurements, forage sampling, processing, and analysis for quality.

Soil Testing & Nutrient Management

Dr. Dorivar Ruiz Diaz
Kansas State University

Evaluate soil testing methods for fertilizer recommendations for different soil types and production systems. Determine how the different soil analysis methods in the laboratory are correlated to crop response in the field and how these values can be used to make fertilizer recommendations.

Nitrogen Management for Conservation Tillage

Dr. Dorivar Ruiz Diaz
Kansas State University

Long-term conservation tillage are characterized by high soil organic matter, and therefore affecting the nitrogen cycling when compared to conventional tillage system. The student involved in this project will evaluate nitrogen response for contrasting tillage systems and evaluate key parameters of nitrogen use efficiency in corn, and the need for adjustments in nitrogen fertilization under conservation tillage.

Remote Sensing Data Processing

Dr. Ignacio Ciampitti
Kansas State University

Explore the utilization/implementation of technology (e.g., drones, satellite, modeling) on agricultural research. Gain knowledge on the precision agriculture technologies used for collecting relevant agricultural data layers and utilization of different technologies such as satellite and working in learning how to process satellite data from different fields.

Field Research and Crop Simulation

Dr. Ignacio Ciampitti
Kansas State University

Learn about field production of major crops (e.g., legumes and cereals). This research project will involve analysis of plant growth and development to better understand the effect of soil and weather on plant processes and yield formation with the goal integrating the data into crop simulation models.

Soil Testing & Laboratory Analysis

Dr. Brian Arnall
Oklahoma State University

Evaluating the use of Mehlich 3 nutrient extraction to determine CEC as a replacement for ammonium acetate. Utilizing Mehlich 3 instead of ammonium will increase the efficiency of soil testing lab procedures, decreasing cost of the analysis making it more economical for the famers.

Precision Nutrient Management

Dr. Brian Arnall
Oklahoma State University

Get hands on experience with many of the summer crops grown in the central plains. Learn about and apply the use of sensors to make in-season nitrogen recommendations in cotton, sesame, and sorghum. Help the team improve existing practices and develop new approaches to nitrogen management.

Spring 2021

Research Assistant
Soil Water Processes
Kansas State University

The project focuses on turning multi-scale plant and soil information into actionable decisions. The primary responsibilities of the successful candidate involve: i) use novel and non-invasive sensing technologies to assess the current and future crop and soil moisture conditions of spatially variable agricultural fields; ii) determine the impact of common and alternative cropping systems on soil physical properties, soil water storage and transport, and soil health. The soil water processes research group offers a strong advising program and a newly equipped laboratory for measuring a wide range of soil physical properties and processes. The successful applicant will closely work with crop scientists, soil scientists, and modelers working together to improve soil and water conservation.

Spring 2021

Teaching Assistant
Weed Science
Kansas State University

Pursue and complete an advanced degree in Weed Science. Conduct independent research in the area of weed biology and ecology and integrated weed management practices. The successful applicant will work as part of the RAIN team which includes crop and soil scientists and modelers working together to sustainably increase the productivity of rainfed agricultural systems in the Southern Great Plains by increasing precipitation and nitrogen use efficiency, reducing yield losses to environmental stresses and weed pressure, and restoring and enhancing soil health. The teaching assistant will provide coordination of a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program as part of the RAIN project.

Spring 2021

Research Assistant

Agricultural Micrometeorology

Kansas State University

The primary responsibilities of the successful candidate will be to: 1) quantify field-scale crop evapotranspiration and CO2 fluxes using micrometeorological techniques (e.g. the eddy covariance approach); 2) to test and validate approaches for partitioning evapotranspiration into plant transpiration and soil evaporation; 3) to oversee field and laboratory experiments; 4) to perform data analysis, present research results in professional meetings, and publish papers in peer-reviewed journals; and 5) to complete all the course work necessary to pursue a Ph.D. degree with a dissertation related to the research topic.

Spring 2021

Research Assistant
Soil Health
Kansas State University

The successful applicant will join the K-State Soil Microbial Agroecology Laboratory.  The research will focus on soil health assessment of different rainfed cropping systems to improve water and nitrogen use efficiency and soil health. The selected candidate will be responsible for conducting the research and draft publications for technical reports and ultimately scientific journals. The successful applicant will work in an interdisciplinary team involving crop scientists, soil scientists, and modelers working together to improve water use and nutrient use efficiency in rainfed agricultural systems.

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Spring 2021

Research Assistant
Soil Health
Kansas State University

The successful applicant will join the K-State Soil Microbial Agroecology Laboratory.  The research will focus on soil health assessment of farmer practices to improve soil health (no-tillage, cover crops, and nutrient management). The selected candidate will be responsible for conducting the research and draft publications for technical reports and ultimately scientific journals. The successful applicant will work with farmers set measure soil health from replicated strip trips at several locations across the state.

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Spring 2021

Research Assistant
Soil Fertility
Kansas State University

The successful candidate will join a team conducting applied research with emphasis on soil fertility and nutrient management in cropping systems of Kansas. Research work will focus on nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) improvements for rainfed systems and the interaction with water use efficiency. Opportunities for interaction with producers and industry through field days and meetings will be available.

Summer 2021

PhD Student
Forage Production Systems
Oklahoma State University

The project's primary goal is to design and evaluate novel pathways to greater water productivity by intensifying and diversifying forage production systems in the southern Great Plains. The successful candidate will develop research focused on (i) sod-seeding cool-season forages into perennial warm-season pastures and (ii) evaluating novel summer forages in rotation with winter wheat. Applicants should have M.S. degree related to Agronomy, Crop, or Plant and Soil Science. The applicant is expected to have excellent academic records, authored/co-authored publications, significant scientific findings at seminars and conferences, and excellent oral and written communication skills. For questions and further information on the position, please contact Dr. Alex Rocateli at alex.rocateli@okstate.edu.

Summer 2021

MS Student
Forage Production Systems
Oklahoma State University

The research will focus on (i) developing best management practices on pasture fertilization (ii) developing non-destructive sampling methods to estimate forage yield and quality. Applicants should have B.Sc. in Agronomy, Crop Science, or Plant and Soil Science. The applicant is expected to have excellent academic records, oral, and written communication skills. For questions and further information on the position, please contact Dr. Alex Rocateli at alex.rocateli@okstate.edu.