Our lab welcomes undergraduate and high school students with interest in STEM, especially plant biology, to participate in cutting-edge research, and/or our weekly discussions on current trends and highlights in biological researches.
We have partnered with the biotechnology program of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC) for multiple years and provided opportunities to RCCC students semester-long internships to receive professional trainings and gain real-world research experience. Postdocs and graduate students in our lab have been working with student interns on different aspects of hands-on research, including making plasmid constructs, plant transformation, nuclei and RNA isolation, etc.
As an additional outreach activity, the laboratory frequently participate in the PHHI-STEM education and outreach “Scientist For a Day” program that engages and involves local middle and high school students to visit and perform hands-on laboratory exercises, and to enthuse and inspire students to pursue future STEM education and career.