Research Projects in search of Undergraduate Student Assistance
Here you can explore available opportunities from Faculty Mentors in need of undergraduate student help
OWRI Faculty Mentor Name: Cody Copp
OSU Facility Name: OSU Extension Service - Umatilla County
Location of Facility: Milton-Freewater, Oregon
Short Project Description:
The effects of climate change pose challenges for wine grape growers across the state of Oregon. Short term consequences of climate change such as extreme heat events are an immediate threat to grape production. The historic heatwave in June 2021 exemplifies the increasing frequency and severity of such climatic events. It is well established that extreme temperatures (>104 °F) can dramatically reduce photosynthesis, hasten leaf senescence, reduce fruit yield, delay ripening, and lead to sunburn on exposed fruit. Kaolin clay has been used in other fruit crops to reduce heat stress and sunburn. The white clay increases light reflectance, reducing the temperature of surfaces to which it is applied. Thus, kaolin can maintain or improve photosynthesis, which is inhibited by high temperatures and light, and increase fruit growth leading to higher yield under extreme conditions. Despite its use in local apple orchards, kaolin is not currently used in the increasing vineyard acreage of the Walla Walla Valley. This project will evaluate the potential of kaolin to reduce the impacts of heat stress and extreme heat spikes on vine performance and fruit ripening. Kaolin will be applied at three different rates in a commercial block of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Syrah. Vine water status and leaf stomatal conductance will be monitored weekly to determine the influence of kaolin on vine physiological performance. Grape samples will be collected at commercial harvest and analyzed for TSS, pH, TA, total phenolics, tannins, and anthocyanins using traditional wet chemistry methods.
Student Responsibilities:
The student will be involved with applying the kaolin treatments, measuring vine water status, measuring leaf stomatal conductance, collecting leaf nutrient samples, learning appropriate field/lab techniques, collecting grape samples, performing grape chemical analyses, conducting a literature review, analyzing data, preparing a project report, and assisting with other small projects as necessary.
Project Objectives:
- Measure the influence of kaolin application rate on vine physiological function and heat stress response
- Determine the effect of kaolin application rate on wine grape quality
Preferred Skills/Experience:
Basic laboratory and vineyard work experience
Student Learning Outcomes:
The student will primarily learn the field research techniques related to grapevine physiology and laboratory techniques for grape sample preparation and analysis. They will also become familiar with the literature on grapevine heat stress and basic statistical analysis appropriate for the project data. This project is intended to offer applied research experience that supplements the curriculum from the student’s academic program.
Student Hourly Wage Rate Range: $13.50 - $20.40
Expected Hours/Week: 5-15 hours per week (depending on week)
Hourly Working Parameters: The student will work primarily during business hours, with the possibility of some weekend hours during the harvest season. Work schedule is flexible.
Special Considerations: No
Vehicle/Machinery Operation: Yes
OWRI Faculty Mentor Name: Alexander (Alec) Levin
OSU Facility Name: OSU Southern Oregon Research and Extension Service (SOREC)
Location of Facility: Central Point, Oregon
Short Project Description:
This project aims to evaluate performance of Pinot noir vines grafted onto 10 rootstock cultivars under irrigated field conditions of Rogue Valley American Viticulture Area (AVA) in Southern Oregon. These rootstocks were planted in 2019 at the OSU Southern Oregon Research & Extension Center (SOREC) in Central Point, Oregon. During the experiment, vines will either be kept well-watered throughout the growing season (Control) or until the onset of fruit ripening (veraison) at which point irrigation will be cut off until harvest (Water Deficit; WD). The WD treatment will mimic the conditions that are unfortunately now common for many growers in the Rogue Valley, in which perennial drought forces early cessation of water delivery to vineyards by irrigation districts. Rootstock performance will be evaluated based on various physiological and morphological means including phenology, vine water status, gas exchange, water use efficiency, berry ripening, vine yield, accumulation of stable carbon isotope (C13) in juice, uptake and translocation of labeled nitrogen (N15), and nutrient uptake status of the vines over three growing seasons (2023 – 2026). Results of this project will be a model for yield prediction and vine performance for evaluated rootstocks under drought conditions and recommendation of rootstocks suitable for growers when establishing a new vineyard in the region.
Student Responsibilities:
- Assist with monitoring and field data collection
- Assist with treatment imposition and maintenance of the vineyard irrigation system
- Assist with sampling
- Assist with sample processing and analysis
- Assist with data analysis and preparation of reports
Project Objectives:
It is expected that this project will generate data for modelling and selection of rootstocks suitable for water-limited growing conditions of Rogue Valley and elsewhere in the world.
Preferred Skills/Experience:
- Must be an enrolled undergraduate student at Oregon State University or other college or university
- Must be willing to work outside under Southern Oregon summer weather conditions
- Must be willing to learn and be open to suggestions/feedback
- Must be willing to work during occasional early-morning or late-afternoon sessions demanded by the specifics of the experiment
Student Learning Outcomes:
Basics of viticulture, vine physiology, instrument handling, field experimental designs, and data analysis.
Student Hourly Wage Rate Range: $13.50 - $20.40
Expected Hours/Week: 30-40 hours per week
Hourly Working Parameters: Though we generally keep to a normal work schedule of 8am-5pm and M-F, there may be times when work occurs outside of those times as determined by experimental design, required sampling procedures, and plant development.
Special Considerations: Yes
Vehicle/Machinery Operation: Yes
OWRI Faculty Mentor Name: Laurent Deluc
OSU Facility Name: OSU Department of Horticulture (main campus)
Location of Facility: Corvallis, Oregon
Short Project Description:
The undergraduate student will be involved in a series of three main projects focused on the transgenic lines growing in the greenhouse. The undergraduate will collect data from experiments and help other lab members with their investigations. Regarding data collection, the Deluc lab has several transgenic lines in the OSU greenhouse that must be fully characterized. The first series of transgenic lines contain genes associated with ABA, auxin, and sugar signaling and their impact on fruit composition. The undergraduate student will study the changes in developing grape berry composition produced from transgenic lines expressing a series of key genes associated with a chemical induction. The objective is to determine whether the chemically-induced expression of the transgene results in fruit composition changes. Upon chemical induction, the student will measure several phenology parameters, including the sugar and pigment content, berry size, pH, and titrable acidity. The second series of transgenic lines are transgenic microvine grafts with the scion part expressing a gene committed to synthesizing ABA, an essential hormone in drought tolerance. The project aims to determine whether ABA-induced synthesis in the scion part can move down to the rootstocks. After chemical induction, roots from rootstocks will be collected, and the undergraduate student will extract the ABA hormones. Finally, the undergraduate student will provide help to the Ph.D. Christian Mandelli to evaluate the silencing effects of ectopic application of small interfering RNA:nanomaterial formulation on grapevine leaves.
Student Responsibilities:
Grape berry phenology, grapevine growth management practices, sample collection, data entering, analysis and interpretation of data, phenotypic analysis, digital imaging
Project Objectives:
From the first assigned tasks, the student will contribute to validating the function of several genes associated with ABA, auxin, and sugar effect in controlling several aspects of grape berry development. From the second task, the undergraduate will contribute to proving whether the ABA plant hormone, produced in the upper part, moves towards the below part of the plants. Finally, for the third objective, the undergraduate student will contribute
to the validation of one RNA::nanomaterial formulation as potential new tool to protect grapevine to grapevine red blotch disease.
Preferred Skills/Experience:
Grapevine physiology, horticulture science (minimum), Genetics, plant biochemistry (preferred)
Student Learning Outcomes:
The student will learn a comprehensive set of techniques ranging from horticulture and grapevine physiology to biochemistry and modern digital imaging. In addition, the student will be exposed to a diverse environment of researchers dedicated to working on fundamental research projects and more applied research programs designed 1) for breeding programs related to performance traits like fruit composition and drought tolerance, and 2) for the development of modern translational tools (biopesticides) for grapevine management in field settings against pest and diseases.
Student Hourly Wage Rate Range: $13.50 - $20.40
Expected Hours/Week: 10 hours per week
Hourly Working Parameters: Normal work schedule
Special Considerations: No
Vehicle/Machinery Operation: No
OWRI Faculty Mentor Name: Patty Skinkis
OSU Facility Name: OSU Department of Horticulture (main campus)
Location of Facility: Corvallis, Oregon
Short Project Description:
Many vineyards manage crop quality and quantity by assessing and modifying yields. Clusters are removed at the lag phase of berry development to achieve pre-determined yield targets. In order to make yield adjustments, growers need a reliable way to estimate their harvest yields well in advance of harvest. This is typically done through cluster counts and weights at lag phase. Growers then apply an increase factor to the cluster weights to determine final size at harvest. Recently the Skinkis Lab developed increase factor models for Pinot noir based on a long-term data set. Growers are using this model to inform their crop estimates but are applying it to other cultivars, namely Chardonnay. Chardonnay is an important grape variety for Oregon, and previous years of data were collected by the Skinkis Lab to develop a similar increase factor model for Chardonnay, but more data are needed. A student on this project will conduct the field sampling and fruit development of Chardonnay during the 2023 crop year to inform the model for improving growers’ methods.
Student Responsibilities:
The student will be involved in both field and lab work. Skills the student will learn include: cluster sampling techniques, plant growth measures, fruit chemical analyses, data organization, data analysis, and writing.
Project Objectives:
- Quantify and monitor how the cluster and berries develop across the season
- Determine the increase factors for the 2023 crop year for Chardonnay once the fruit are harvested
- Organize the multi-year data set to develop the model
Preferred Skills/Experience:
- Plant or plant-science-based major, including but not limited to Horticulture, Agronomy, Biology, Botany, Crop Science, etc.
- Experience working outdoors for extended periods of time in all weather conditions
- Experience and/or interest working in a farming system or plant system
- Experience in working with Excel and interest in working with data (numbers)
- Ability to work as a team and independently
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to walk on uneven terrain
- Ability to lift, push, and carry at least 30 lb
- Valid driver’s license
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Understand the growth and development of the wine grape cultivar Chardonnay
- Understand the vineyard production schedule (budbreak to harvest)
- Understand the berry development phases relative to grapevine phenology
- Be able to proficiently sample vineyards for monitoring berry development on a weekly to twice weekly frequency
- Know how to use proper sample collection tools and sample handling
- Know how to measure grape berry morphological measures and fruit composition
- Know the importance of collecting yield data in viticulture trials
- Know how to conduct plant growth (vegetative) measures, both in the field and on plant specimens (clusters) brought back to the lab
- Be proficient in fruit chemical measures, such as Brix, pH, TA
- Demonstrate the ability to organize data in spreadsheets for data analyses
- Demonstrate the ability to summarize data in written form (e.g., reports)
Student Hourly Wage Rate Range: $13.50 - $20.40
Expected Hours/Week: 20 hours per week is the maximum during the school year, but up to 40 hours may be possible during breaks and summer (if not taking classes).
Hourly Working Parameters: Student may be required to work outside of the typical work day only when necessary for sample collection (e.g., around grower spray schedules, or when harvesting prior to commercial harvest). This will be infrequent.
Special Considerations: Yes
Vehicle/Machinery Operation: Yes
OWRI Faculty Mentor Name: Michael Qian
OSU Facility Name: OSU Department of Food Science and Technology
Location of Facility: Corvallis, Oregon
Short Project Description:
Raman spectroscopy is highly information-rich with molecular vibrations with polarizability. A concept project was founded by the American Vineyard Foundation to investigate Raman spectroscopy combined with machine-learning for rapid smoke detection. The results so far showed that the Raman spectroscopy was not sensitive enough for smoke detection in wines. Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) using nanoparticles to enhance Raman scattering. It has been reported that the sensitivity could be increased 1000 folds for some of applications. We find the combination of advanced ML and SERS to smoke taint detection extremely promising to unravel the molecular fingerprints of smoke taint chemicals from the polyphenols on grape skins and in the wine, such as tannins and anthocyanins. Proper sample and SERS substrate optimization, application of deep learning, and design of experiment can extract covariant spectral features of SERS below the noise level. Once this system performance is established, Raman spectroscopy with ML could be used for rapid smoke detection in all agricultural produces. Raman spectroscopy is highly information-rich with molecular vibrations with polarizability. A concept project was founded by the American Vineyard Foundation to investigate Raman spectroscopy combined with machine-learning for rapid smoke detection. The results so far showed that the Raman spectroscopy was not sensitive enough for smoke detection in wines. Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) using nanoparticles to enhance Raman scattering. It has been reported that the sensitivity could be increased 1010 folds for some of applications. We find the combination of advanced ML and SERS to smoke taint detection extremely promising to unravel the molecular fingerprints of smoke taint chemicals from the polyphenols on grape skins and in the wine, such as tannins and anthocyanins. Proper sample and SERS substrate optimization, application of deep learning, and design of experiment can extract covariant spectral features of SERS below the noise level. Once this system performance is established, Raman spectroscopy with ML could be used for rapid smoke detection in all agricultural produces.
Student Responsibilities:
The student will be involved in lab work. Willing to travel between Corvallis and Portland.
Project Objectives:
- Learn nanoparticle preparation
- Raman spectroscopy analysis
Preferred Skills/Experience:
- General chemistry training
- Valid driver’s license
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Spectroscopy theory and data analysis
Student Hourly Wage Rate Range: $13.50 - $20.40
Expected Hours/Week: 10-20 hours per week
Hourly Working Parameters: Flexible working hours during the summer term, normal working hours during the school term.
Special Considerations: No
Vehicle/Machinery Operation: Yes