Inclusive Student Training in Collections and field-based Topics (InSTInCT) REU Program
The InSTInCT program is on hiatus for summer 2024, but we hope to be back for Summer 2025!
Program Description
Inclusive Student Training in Collections and field-based Topics REU Program is an 8-week summer research program that provides undergraduates an opportunity to conduct cutting-edge scientific research on the diversity of life and organisms in their natural environment. Students are matched with a faculty mentor based on research interests and are given access and exposure to the wealth of resources and facilities that UT Austin has to offer. Participants receive a $4,000 summer stipend, a travel voucher, and room and board at UT Austin.
A central theme of InSTInCT is to broaden the participation of historically excluded groups in the natural sciences. Program participants partake in a professional development curriculum that highlights careers in the biodiversity sciences, applying to graduate school, and thriving as a scientist.
InSTInCT students will have multiple opportunities to engage with the broader community of field- and collections-based researchers at UT through weekly socials, grad student mentors, facility tours, and field trips. The program will culminate in a research symposium where InSTInCT students will present their summer research to the UT community. You can learn more about the experiences of past InSTInCT Scholars on this Biodiversity Center blog.
This program is made possible through the Stengl-Wyer Endowment.
Mentors
Students have the opportunity to work with faculty from various departments at the University of Texas at Austin. In Summer 2023, the following faculty have agreed to serve as mentors on student research projects:
MENTOR | DEPARTMENT | RESEARCH INTERESTS | WEBSITE |
Dr. Amy Wolf |
Integrative Biology | Ecosystem Ecology, Species Interactions, Biodiversity, Plant Ecology, Global Change | https://ameliawolf.weebly.com |
Dr. Annette Ostling |
Integrative Biology | Community Ecology, Competitive Coexistence, Biodiversity Patterns | https://sites.google.com/utexas.edu/ostlinglab?pli=1 |
Dr. Arbel Harpak |
Integrative Biology | Evolutionary, statistical and population genetics | https://www.harpaklab.com |
Dr. Brett Baker |
Integrative Biology | Microbial diversity, ecology, and evolution | https://sites.utexas.edu/baker-lab/ |
Dr. Caroline Farror |
Integrative Biology | Theoretical and empirical plant ecology; Role of plant communities in the global carbon cycle | https://sites.cns.utexas.edu/cfarrior |
Dr. Carlos Botero |
Integrative Biology | Organismal responses to climate oscillations and climate change, Evolutionary ecology, Animal Cognition, and Cultural evolution | https://boterolab.weebly.com |
Dr. Chase Smith |
Integrative Biology | Freshwater Mussel and other Bivalve Phylogenetics, Mitochondrial Inheritence, Sex Determination | https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Chase-Smith |
Dr. Chris Law |
Integrative Biology | Functional morphology; phylogenetic comparative methods; natural history; mammalogy; evolution | chrisjlaw.com |
Dr. David Cannatella |
Integrative Biology | Systematics, phylogenomics, evolution of amphibians and reptiles | https://cannatellalab.org/ |
Dr. Hans Hofmann |
Integrative Biology | Neurobiology, Evolution, Social Behavior, Decision-making, Cognition | https://cichlid.biosci.utexas.edu/ |
Dr. Justin Havird |
Integrative Biology | Mitochondrial Physiology, Mitonuclear Interactions, Thermal Adaptation, Evolutionary Biology | https://sites.cns.utexas.edu/havird |
Dr. Kelly Zamudio |
Integrative Biology | Population biology, population genetics, systematics, disease eccology and evolution, the genetics of conservation. | https://zamudiolab.org |
Dr. Larry Gilbert |
Integrative Biology | Evolutionary Ecology, Plant-Herbivore Coevolution, Plant Variation | https://cns.utexas.edu/directory/item/7-integrative-biology/211-gilbert-lawrence-e?Itemid=349 |
Dr. Liming Cai |
Integrative Biology | Plant systematics, evolutionary genomics | https://lmcai.weebly.com/ |
Dr. Lisa Boucher |
Geosciences | Paleobotany, Evolutionary Biology, Paleoecology, Biogeography, Plant Anatomy | https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/researcher/lisa_boucher/ |
Dr. Melissa Kemp |
Integrative Biology | Paleobiology, Conservation Biology, Vertebrate Ecology and Evolution, Global Change Biology | http://www.thekemplab.com |
Dr. Ross DeAngelis |
Integrative Biology | Social behavior, neurobiology, genomics | https://cns.utexas.edu/directory/item/3954-deangelis-ross?Itemid=349 |
Dr. Rowan Martindale |
Geosciences | Exceptional fossil preservation (Lagerstätten), Paleoecology, Coral Reef Ecosystems. | https://www.jsg.utexas.edu/martindale/research/ |
Dr. Shalene Jha |
Integrative Biology | Conservation Biology, Pollinators, Plant-Animal Interactions, Landscape Genomics | https://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/jha/ |
Dr. Travis Laduc |
Integrative Biology | Herpetology, Biodiversity, Natural History, Ecology | https://biodiversity.utexas.edu/component/cobalt/item/108-biodiversity-center/501-laduc-travis-j?Itemid=1362 |
Dr. Tom Devitt |
Integrative Biology | Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology of Reptiles and Amphibians | |
Dr. Ummat Somjee |
Integrative Biology | Sexual Selection, Metabolism, Anatomy, Weevils | https://www.ummatsomjee.com/ |
Location
The University of Texas at Austin is the flagship school of the University of Texas System and one of the biggest and best research universities in the world. Our Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior graduate program is ranked 8th in Ecology / Evolutionary Biology according to U.S. News & World Report (2022 ed.).
Austin, the state’s capital, is an eclectic, diverse city known for its live music, barbeque, breakfast tacos, and the world’s largest urban bat colony. You will get an opportunity to explore Austin and the surrounding area throughout the summer, in addition to field trips to other regions of Texas.
Eligibility
Any undergraduate student enrolled in a 2-year or 4-year degree program is eligible, and students from underrepresented populations, such as first-generation-in-college students, persons with disabilities, etc., are encouraged to apply.
How to apply
Applicants answer questions such as:
1. List up to 6 relevant college-level courses that you have completed or enrolled in.
2. Briefly describe your scientific and research interests, career goals, and what you hope to gain by participating in the program (3,000 characters or less).
3. Previous experience applying to and/or participating in a research training program.