This month, four PRI labs (Lebeis, Lundquist, Rouached and Thompson) welcome four undergraduate students from the Korea WEST exchange program, a joint initiative of the Republic of Korea and the US Department of State. WEST strands for Work, English, Study, Travel. During this exchange, students attend an intensive English training course, experience various cultures and conduct STEM-related research. 

Minji Jang is majoring in biological science in Korea and is especially interested in genetics. She joined the Thompson lab. 

Chaerim Kweon is majoring in food science and biotechnology. She is interested in studying living organisms and applications in various fields such as health, agriculture, and food industries. Doyeon Kwon is majoring in bioengineering and studying microbiology. Both Chaerim and Doyeon joined the Rouached lab. Under the supervision of Dr. Cho, they will study the effect of high CO2 on plant microbiome interaction and nutrient homeostasis in Arabidopsis. They will gain experience in physiology and molecular biology. 

Yeonseo Lee is majoring in chemical engineering. She joined the Lundquist lab and is working with Dr. Elsinraju Devadasu to study the protein and lipid composition of maize plastoglobule lipid droplets, and their dynamic changes in response to heat and drought stresses. This work is expected to unravel the role of the plastoglobule in thylakoid membrane remodeling under stress and how this role facilitates stress resilience in this important agricultural crop. She is gaining experience with multiple biochemical techniques including protein gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting as well as gene cloning.