Envision
Video: UD Envision 2024: youtube.com/watch?v=r103sICWcw0
Envision yourself as a scientist
UD Envision is a five year continuation of a previously-awarded three year program, funded through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) focused on generating the next generation of Agricultural Scientists. As minorities are underrepresented in these disciplines and research target areas, this project has been developed to address this disparity. Intensive, hands-on research education and experiential learning projects help to bridge the perceptual change required for students to Envision themselves as Scientists.
With partnering institutions (Lincoln University, Delaware State University, Cheyney University, Wesley College and the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore), 10 to 13 undergraduates per Summer will:
- Work with a faculty mentor to develop their own hypothesis-based research project,
- Document this project in a laboratory notebook, ePortfolio, and by creating a video summarizing the project,
- Present and distribute this video at the Delaware State Fair (it will also be posted to YouTube)
- Make a scientific poster presentation at the Undergraduate Research Symposium in August.
The summer includes training in video equipment, editing, and storytelling, ethics, laboratory, and safety trainings, and participation in camraderie-building activities.
Participate in Paid Summer Research at the University of Delaware:
Stipend: $4,500 for 10 weeks
Duration: 10 weeks (June 3 – August 8)
Housing: On campus Residence Hall, if needed
| Name | Department | Area of Research |
|---|---|---|
| Juzhong Tan | Animal and Food Sciences | Food Processing |
| Yihang Li | Animal and Food Sciences | Animal Physiology and Nutrition |
| Mark Parcells | Animal and Food Sciences | Animal Diseases or Immunology |
| Tanya Gressley | Animal and Food Sciences | Animal Physiology and Nutrition |
| Aditya Dutta | Animal and Food Sciences | Animal Physiology and Nutrition |
| Hong Li | Animal and Food Sciences | Animal Physiology and Nutrition |
| Alex Yitbarek | Animal and Food Sciences | Animal Diseases or Immunology |
| Peng Zhao | Applied Economics and Statistics | Data Analysis, Statistics and Modeling |
| Jennifer Peterson | Entomology and Wildlife Ecology | Entomology |
| Vincenzo Ellis | Entomology and Wildlife Ecology | Entomology |
| Jeff Buler | Entomology and Wildlife Ecology | Wildlife Ecology |
| Michael Crossley | Entomology and Wildlife Ecology | Entomology |
| Kyle McCarthy | Entomology and Wildlife Ecology | Wildlife Ecology |
| Chris Williams | Other | Sustainability |
| Alex Huddell | Plant and Soil Sciences | Environmental Studies |
| Qi Mu | Plant and Soil Sciences | Plant Breeding and Genomics |
| Erin Sparks | Plant and Soil Sciences | Plant Molecular Biology |
| Qingwu Meng | Plant and Soil Sciences | Greenhouse and Space Crop Production |
| Nicole Donofrio | Plant and Soil Sciences | Plant molecular pathology/molecular microbiology |
| Harsh Bais | Plant and Soil Sciences | Plant Molecular Biology |
| Deb Jaisi | Plant and Soil Sciences | Soil Chemistry |
| Jeff Fuhrmann | Plant and Soil Sciences | Environmental Microbiology |
| Angelia Seyfferth | Plant and Soil Sciences | Soil Chemistry |
| Abby Reeves | Plant and Soil Sciences | Vegetable Production |
Over the summer, ten to thirteen students take part in a broad range of research topics, such as Animal Health and Disease, Bioenergy and the Environment, Food Safety and Microbiology, Genetics and Genomics, Physiology, Immunology and Nutrition. During their time with Envision, students will get to experience video documentation, laboratory work, and general hands-on experience as well as many other take-aways from this program. Along with laboratory safety trainings, students also attend ethics training and multi-media trainings to learn how to effectively preform and present their work, especially for the Delaware State Fair and the Undergraduate Research Program.
Archive
UNDERGRADUATE SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAMS
- Hands-on Training
- Programs run June 5 to Aug. 15, 2025
- $4,500 Stipend and $500 Research Allowance
- On-campus housing available
Professor
Dept. of Animal and Food Sciences
Dept. of Biological Sciences
University of Delaware
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Nigerian cropland expansion
January 16, 2025 | Written by Adam ThomasIn Nigeria, about 90 percent of the deforested area has been converted to cropland within years of forest loss. While this cropland expansion has allowed for individual farmers to grow greater amounts of certain crops, a study from faculty member Kyle Davis and doctoral candidate Bhoktear Khan shows that it does not necessarily lead to more food security or increased nutrition. -
A taste for food science
January 15, 2025 | Written by Molly SchaferKaitlin Smith combines her love of plants with a passion for food science. During a food microbiology course, Smith discovered an interest in research as she pursued her undergraduate degree. Now a graduate student in UD’s M.S. in Food Science, she conducts her own research into mitigating cross-contamination in hydroponics. -
Nurse to statistician
January 14, 2025 | Written by Nya WynnYaxi Huang worked as a nurse before moving to the U.S. She applied to the University of Delaware's Online M.S. in Applied Statistics because the program fit her family and work schedule. Through UD's program, Huang secured an internship with specialty pharmaceutical company Endo International.