Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) Undergraduate Internship

What do cutting edge research, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and unparalleled access to professional scientists and engineers have in common? The Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) Undergraduate Internship. Spend your summer in a university research lab or in one of the U.S. Army Research Laboratories and Centers through this unique internship opportunity. You will experience firsthand the innovation and research that is driving the future of our country.

This particular internship offers an opportunity to learn and perform research related to a project studying the stability and interactions of microbial communities that is led by Dr. Joshua Chan at the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Dr. Pankaj Trivedi at the Department of Agricultural Biology at Colorado State University. Below are the descriptions for four example projects:

Project 1

Modeling the impacts of chemical conditions and community composition on xylan degradation. The intern for this project will apply modeling tools to soil microbial metabolic models to explore and predict how the chemical condition of the environment and/or the composition of the microbial community influence the microbial metabolic interactions and the resultant xylan degradation performance. Interesting predictions can benefit the construction of synthetic communities for the ARO project and will be tested experimentally by other team members of the ARO project. Through this intern project, the intern will learn and appreciate how computational modeling can aid biotechnology research and predict microbial metabolism based on science and engineering principles.

Project 2

Modeling the effects of regulatory circuits for xylanase expression on xylan degradation. The intern for this project will apply the same modeling tools as in intern project 1 but with a different goal of modeling the impact of different regulatory circuits for controlling xylanase expression, including for example constitutive expression, xylose-negative feedback inhibition, quorum sensing activation. This helps evaluate potential engineering strategies to be used for the ARO project. Interesting predictions will be tested experimentally by other team members of the ARO project. Through this intern project, the intern will learn and appreciate how computational modeling can guide engineering efforts. Knowledge and skills the intern will learn: basics in microbial metabolism, synthetic biology circuits in regulation of gene expression, metabolic modeling, artificial intelligence (reinforcement learning), and Python programming.

Project 3

Modulating xylanase expression in Bacillus subtilis The intern for this project will modulate the expression of xylanase in B. subtilis using synthetic biology tools. Possible methods of modulation include constructing a library of differential constitutive expression levels using synthetic promoters and ribosomal binding sites, deregulation of catabolite repression, or a synthetic circuit based on xylose feedback or quorum sensing. The engineered B. subtilis strain will be tested in synthetic communities by other team members of the ARO project. Through this intern project, the intern will be introduced to the exciting field of synthetic biology. Knowledge and skills the intern will learn: basics in microbiology and molecular biology, synthetic biology approaches for modulating gene expression.

Project 4

Characterizing xylan-degrading soil microbial communities The intern for this project will determine microbial functions and interactions by co-culturing soil microorganisms, the model organism B. subtilis, and/or its derivatives under selected xylan degrading conditions. The intern will learn to configure a liquid handling robot for high-throughput culturing of microbial communities. The intern will characterize the growth, metabolite conversion, xylanase activity, and composition of a synthetic community of interest and its sub-communities. The data generated will be used for modeling the communities and designing engineering strategies by other members of the ARO project. Through this intern project, the intern will appreciate the complexity of microbial communities and interactions, and the opportunities in engineering them. Knowledge and skills the intern will learn: basics in microbiology, microbial culture, microbial ecology, microbiome sciences, lab automation.

Eligibility

Students must be in a STEM major, preferably with a background in life sciences/agricultural sciences/bioengineering or other related subjects.

How to apply

See the section ‘Apply Here’ in the AEOP webpage

What else should applicants know about this internship?

This is a paid full-time internship for approximately two months (300 hours) during Summer 2024, at a rate approximately equivalent to $20/hour. Applicants will submit a brief essay highlighting their interest in science and engineering research, education and career plan, and how they are related to this internship opportunity.