Program Details

Students currently enrolled in an undergraduate program may apply for this nationally competitive fellowship.

Participate in a paid, intensive, 10-week summer program, with housing and travel provided, conducting an independent research project under the guidance of a PhD-level mentor.

Gain direct experience on all aspects of a research project, from reading the primary literature, experimental design, collecting and analyzing data, to presenting the results at a final symposium.

Develop critical thinking, independence, self-confidence, perseverance, and collaborative skills. Interact with REUs from other Chicago institutions, and benefit from workshops on science communication and professional development.

Learn skills you can apply anywhere. The Center for Tree Science also offers opportunities to return to continue your work.

The 10-week research program includes:

• $7,500 stipend
• Housing, research supplies, and travel
• Professional development workshops in science communication, responsible conduct in research, resume building, and more

Research areas:

• Soil and forest ecology
• Conservation biology
• Root biology
• Plant systematics and biodiversity
• Urban forests and arboriculture
• Plant breeding and horticulture

Learn more:

• Present your research at the Undergraduate Research Symposium.
• Work on unique projects.
• Meet new people and grow your network.

Application Information

The REU program includes a stipend, covers housing and travel expenses, and runs from Tuesday, May 27, to Friday, August 1, 2025. Applications open Monday, December 2, 2024, and close on Friday, January 31, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. Central Time (CT).

Our mentorship program seeks diverse viewpoints as we foster and grow a vibrant, innovative scientific community. REU participants will be incorporated into Arboretum research laboratories for the summer and work collaboratively.

It is important that this community be inclusive so participants can contribute their best ideas and efforts and achieve their full potential. ​We encourage applicants from colleges with limited research opportunities (e.g. community colleges, tribal colleges, and small colleges without graduate programs), groups underrepresented in STEM programs, first-year and second-year undergraduates, US military veterans currently enrolled as undergraduates, and first-generation college students. All applicants are guaranteed equal consideration for employment.

Eligibility

To apply for the 10-week research experience program, which includes a $7,500 stipend and covers housing and travel expenses, students participating in the National Science Foundation-supported REU program must be:

1. Citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions.
2. Currently-enrolled undergraduate students.
   a. Students between high school and undergraduate are NOT eligible to apply.
   b. Must NOT graduate before fall 2025.
   c. Graduating seniors or recent graduates are not eligible to apply.
   d. Students who are transferring from one college or university to another, and are enrolled at neither institution during the intervening summer, are eligible to participate.
3. Able to participate from May 27 to August 1, 2025.

Application Requirements for the 2025 REU Program

Please review the following instructions in order to complete the online application by Friday, January 31, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. Central Time (CT). The 2025 program application link will be available soon.

1. In order to apply, you will be required to create an account through the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Education and Training Application (ETAP) platform. This account will allow you to browse and easily apply to multiple NSF opportunities.
2. As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a resume or curriculum vitae (CV).
3. A cover letter is not required. You will have the opportunity to provide information about your project interest and motivations within the application.
4. Be prepared to provide contact information for one reference during the NSF ETAP application process. Please choose someone who is familiar with your skills, traits, and motivation, and discuss your goals with this person.
5. NSF ETAP will ask you to upload your unofficial college transcripts in order to complete the application.
6. Apply for the 2025 program from Monday, December 2, 2024, to Friday, January 31, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. Central Time (CT).

Projects and Mentors

The Center for Tree Science REU program offers a wide range of research experiences in soil and forest ecology, conservation biology, root biology, plant systematics and biodiversity, urban forests and arboriculture, and plant breeding and horticulture. Details about 2025 projects and mentors will be available soon.

Undergraduates applying for the 2024 program selected their projects from the list below.

Project List

• Characterizing the demography of oaks in decline in the Chicago region
• Classifying tropical forest composition and species distribution and extracting biodiversity values based on indigenous knowledge from drone based imagery in the Brazilian Amazon
• Drought tolerance in urban trees
• Genome size and ploidy survey of cultivated and wild provenance winterberry holly, Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray
• How does environment influence genetic diversity of an endangered tree species in Baja
• Trait variation in mycorrhiza fungi
• Understanding the chemotaxonomic and genetic collinearity of rare trees
• Unraveling Fusarium wilt in Gro-Low Sumac for Sustainable Landscape Preservation

Project Descriptions

Characterizing the demography of oaks in decline in the Chicago region

Mentors: Christy Rollinson, Brendon Reidy

Summary: Oaks are historically the dominant tree group in the forests and woodlands of the Chicago region and are a keystone species that structures the plant and wildlife communities of the region. Regional oak ecosystems were drastically transformed during Euro-American settlement in the 1830s, and only 17% of that original landscape remains today. Oaks in the Chicago region and throughout the Midwest have been experiencing decline at both the individual tree and population scale. A number of factors appear to contribute to the decline, including disease, climate and environmental change, and age.

The student will work with tree-ring samples from The Morton Arboretum and the surrounding region to evaluate the age structure and growth patterns of oaks in decline. This will involve a mixture of sample preparation using power tools in a woodshop setting and lab work involving a microscope. The REU will primarily focus on the analysis of trees that have been removed from the landscape because of health, which will be supplemented with existing regional tree-ring records from healthy trees that were collected as part of past research efforts.

Preferred qualifications: Must be able to wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including safety glasses, over-the-ear hearing protection, and an N95 mask and be comfortable using power tools (belt and palm sanders) after instruction.

Project setting: The Morton Arboretum, with lab components.

Classifying tropical forest composition and species distribution and extracting biodiversity values based on indigenous knowledge from drone based imagery in the Brazilian Amazon

Mentors: Chuck Cannon, Chai-Shian Kua

Summary: Tropical rainforests, some of the most biodiverse and complex ecosystems on Earth, are threatened by deforestation, climate change, and human activities. Understanding the composition and distribution of species in the rainforest is essential for conservation and management. Traditionally, this information was based upon vegetation plots, where individual trees were measured and identified by humans on the ground. Current advances in drone and imagery technology are enabling the classification and identification of trees across an entire landscape.

In this project, the REU student will analyze multispectral, RGB, and LiDAR aerial imagery from various rainforest sites and use off-the-shelf segmentation and classification techniques to extract information on the canopy structure, tree diversity, and community composition. The student will also use various methods to determine the accuracy of these methods, and build identification models for species of particular importance to indigenous people of Amazonas, Brazil. Indigenous knowledge is the local and traditional ecological knowledge of the people who live in and depend on the rainforest. The student will conduct literature research and interact virtually with indigenous groups to prioritize tree species for identification. The student will be part of a team competing in the XPRIZE Rainforest finals, which will take place in Amazonas, Brazil in July, 2024. The multidisciplinary team includes faculty and students from Illinois Tech, Purdue, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and an international non-profit.

The student will research and learn how to analyze and classify various types of drone-based imagery, “ground truth” the accuracy of the classification, and community-level metrics to describe species distribution. The student will also learn how to collect, process, and integrate indigenous knowledge data into the overall framework. The student will contribute to the scientific understanding of the tropical rainforest ecology and the development of novel and autonomous approaches for conservation.

Preferred qualifications: Passport required for international travel. Knowledge of Portuguese a plus (or willingness to learn), ability to conduct research independently, experience with flying drones and/or knowledge of image analysis will be advantageous.

Project setting: Primarily at The Morton Arboretum but including a 10-day field trip to Amazonas, Brazil. The field trip could involve working outside for long hours in humid and hot conditions.

Drought tolerance in urban trees

Mentors: Luke McCormack, Marvin Lo

Summary: Healthy trees in urban areas provide numerous benefits to people, including improved physical health and mental wellbeing; however, trees in urban settings can be prone to drought stress due to limited soil volumes, poor water infiltration, and nutrient imbalances. Furthermore, climate change is expected to increase the occurrence of drought for trees in some urban areas. It is therefore important to understand how drought will impact commonly planted tree species in urban areas today, and to help identify candidate species for future use in urban settings so that we can increase the diversity and resilience of our urban forests. In this project, students will conduct physiological measurements on important and understudied urban tree species to assess their likely resilience to drought. The findings will then be used to support recommendations for tree selections and plantings in managed areas.

Preferred qualifications: Must be interested in plant ecology, tree care, or similar fields and have completed at least one college-level course relevant to the study of plants. Students must also be willing to discuss and develop research questions, conduct fieldwork and laboratory analyses, and perform statistical analysis with data interpretation.

Coursework/background:

• Introductory biology required; ecology or plant physiology course preferred
• Ability to work in both field (hot, humid, rain, insects) and lab (standing/sitting for prolonged periods) settings

Bonus points: Experience with trees, roots, soils, ecophysiology, data analysis, research in general

Project setting: The Morton Arboretum, with field and lab components.

Genome size and ploidy survey of cultivated and wild provenance winterberry holly, Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray

Mentors: Alan Whittemore, Kim Shearer, Andrew Hipp

Summary: The winterberry (Ilex verticillata) is a native shrub that is important in ornamental horticulture. Preliminary genetic analysis has shown that this species includes both diploid and tetraploid populations, both of which have been used in horticulture. The student will determine the distribution of diploids and tetraploids by surveying for DNA content using flow cytometry. This will include important cultivars of I. verticillata and its hybrids, along with plants from selected wild populations.

Preferred qualifications: Interest in combining field and laboratory techniques to understand genetic variation within species. Prior experience with lab equipment is helpful but not required. Willingness to learn a variety of field and lab techniques, including botanical specimen collection and analysis, flow cytometry, and basics of genetic analysis.

Project setting: Primarily at The Morton Arboretum; will include limited field trips in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois to collect wild material.

How does environment influence genetic diversity of an endangered tree species in Baja

Mentors: Sean Hoban, Ash Hamilton

Summary: Genetic diversity is vital to help species adapt to a changing climate. Understanding how species maintain genetic diversity within populations (i.e. gene flow, genetic drift) can inform effective conservation, such as planning where to plant new trees. This knowledge may be particularly important for rare species with small populations. Currently little is known about genetic diversity and gene flow within the endangered oak in Baja Sur, Mexico, Quercus brandegeei. This project will involve the analysis of morphological, phenological, spatial, and genetic data from Quercus brandegeei. Applicants should be interested in learning and working with lab techniques for extracting and examining DNA, as well as learning and working on analyzing genetic and morphological data with computational techniques.

Preferred qualifications: Prior experience with lab equipment (in any lab, such as chemistry, etc.), computer programming, or DNA analysis is beneficial but not required. Prior classes in evolution, population genetics, GIS, computer science, conservation biology, or similar are beneficial. A commitment to conserving trees, careful organization, attention to detail, and working collaboratively is appreciated.

Project setting: The Morton Arboretum, with lab components.

Trait variation in mycorrhiza fungi

Mentors: Luke McCormack, Marvin Lo

Summary: Mycorrhizal fungi are an important component of most terrestrial ecosystems as they supply plants with soil nutrients in exchange for carbohydrates. This symbiosis is particularly vital to the health and resilience of many forest ecosystems. Similar to the wide diversity in form and function observed in plants, there is also a wide diversity in form and function among species of mycorrhizal fungi, yet this fungal diversity has received much less attention and is less well understood. In this project, students will measure traits of ectomycorrhizal fungi that are related to their functional symbiosis with plants and their impacts on ecosystem processes. These measurements will be made across a range of fungal species in symbiosis with different tree species. The findings will then be used to inform our understanding of mycorrhizal trait variation across both fungal and plant species as well as how this variation contributes to forest ecosystem productivity and nutrient cycling.

Preferred qualifications: Must be interested in plant and/or fungal ecology, forest ecology, or similar fields and have completed at least one college-level course relevant to the study of plants or fungi. Students must also be willing to discuss and develop research questions, conduct fieldwork and laboratory analyses, and perform statistical analysis with data interpretation.

Coursework/background:

• Introductory biology required; an additional course in ecology, plant physiology, or mycology preferred.
• Ability to work in both field (hot, humid, rain, insects) and lab (standing/sitting for prolonged periods) settings.

Bonus points: Experience with trees, roots, soils, fungi, data analysis, research in general.

Project setting: The Morton Arboretum, with lab and field components.

Understanding the chemotaxonomic and genetic collinearity of rare trees

Mentors: Chad Rigsby, Nathan Maren

Summary: This project will focus on understanding chemotaxonomic and genetic relationships within clades of common and rare species of trees. Among other new plant development projects, the new plant development lab analyzes the genetics of various tree species to determine the utility of parents and inheritance patterns of unique traits to ensure gain from selection in segregating breeding populations of horticulturally interesting trees. This information can guide the selection process in the new plant development breeding program to enhance desirable traits in future generations. Applicants should be interested in learning and working with lab techniques for High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) as well as extracting and examining DNA, and/or learning and working on analyzing genetic/genomic data with computational techniques. The project focus can be tailored to more laboratory or more computational goals.

Preferred qualifications: Prior experience with lab equipment (in any lab, such as chemistry, etc.), computer programming, or DNA analysis is beneficial but not required. Prior classes in plant breeding, evolution, population genetics, computer science, conservation biology, or similar are beneficial. A commitment to conserving trees, careful organization, attention to detail, and working collaboratively is appreciated.

Project setting: The Morton Arboretum, with lab components.

Unraveling Fusarium Wilt in Gro-Low Sumac for Sustainable Landscape Preservation

Mentor: Stephanie Adams

Summary: Gro low sumac (Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’) is a valuable Illinois-native shrub that is frequently planted in landscapes for a number of reasons. Its desirable landscape qualities include attracting pollinators, wildlife feed on its berries, and it can serve as shelter to small animals and birds. Its attractive orange, lavender, and red fall colors make it a shrub for all seasons. The hardiness qualities that make it versatile include its ability to tolerate a range of soil conditions, being black walnut-resistant, ability to survive temperature extremes, and having resistance to rabbit damage. Until recently this shrub has not experienced any widespread detrimental insect pests or diseases; however, in the last ten years there has been an increased number of reports of Gro-Low sumac declining and dying in landscapes and in nurseries. Cooperative Extension plant diagnostic clinics have identified the causal disease to be Fusarium wilt, which is caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum. Aside from plant diagnostic reports, little is known about this disease, including how or when infection occurs, and where the pathogen survives in plant production facilities.

This proposed research project will be dedicated toward identifying where the pathogen is surviving in plant production facilities and identifying when infection is occurring during crop production. The results will be used to support plant production in plant nurseries.

Preferred qualifications: Must be interested in plant diseases, plant health, botany and plant sciences, and growing plants and trees. Applicants should be detail-oriented, have a collaborative, growth, and learning work ethic, and willingness to maintain a safe working environment.

Coursework/background:

• General microbiology required; botany or related plant and crop sciences, plant health care, mycology, bacteriology preferred.
• Ability to work in both field (standing, walking, kneeling, lifting no more than 30 lbs) and lab (standing/sitting for prolonged periods) settings.

Project setting: The Morton Arboretum, with lab components; field work in a local production nursery without climate control.

Frequently Asked Questions

Participants and Projects

Alumni News

Find out what past Center for Tree Science Undergraduate Researchers have been doing since their time at The Morton Arboretum.

Spring 2023 Update

Mary Jordan Babiez (2015) completed an undergraduate degree from DePaul University and went on to earn a master’s degree in plant biology from Rutgers in 2018, specializing in plant pathology. She worked at the Rutgers Plant Diagnostic Lab and wrote a manual for the lab based on their samples: Pathogens and Pests Encountered on Plants in New Jersey, 2001–2017. She was married in June 2022 to a fellow DePaul graduate who introduced her to the research project at The Morton Arboretum in 2015. They both moved to New Jersey to attend Rutgers, purchased their first home, and she now works as a sales arborist with SavATree.

Bruce Jake Berger (2015) completed a master’s degree in environmental science and a master of public affairs degree in December 2019 from Indiana University Bloomington. He continues his work at the United States Environmental Protection Agency as a Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System compliance inspector and enforcement officer, doing industrial and municipal water pollution inspections and case management to bring water polluters into compliance with their permits and local, state, and federal laws. He was married in October 2022 and enjoyed a honeymoon in Greece. 

Norbaya Jameela Durr (2020–2022) recently graduated from Elmhurst University with a bachelor of science degree in biology and English, a minor in chemistry and a scholar’s title in the honors program. She is currently on a Fulbright Scholarship, teaching English and developing a scientific language arts project. She will also be performing community and cultural work and would like to volunteer or work with Maun, Botswana’s conservation research facilities. She spent three summers working at the Arboretum and is currently working with her mentor to publish the research in a peer-reviewed journal. She loves doing interdisciplinary research and plans to pursue that path by attending graduate school next year. 

Elizabeth Huang (2022) is currently a sophomore at Whitman College, double majoring in English and geology, and she plans to continue seeking out research opportunities before attending graduate school. She was asked to present a paper she wrote about the Arab Spring at the Whitman College Undergraduate Conference, analyzing a piece of realistic fiction that explores totalitarianism in a fictional Middle Eastern state. She continues to provide feedback and edits on the project she worked on as a Center for Tree Science Research Technician Fellow, and the experience encouraged her to continue pursuing a career in Environmental Science.  

Gabriela Krochmal (2019–2021) graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. She is currently completing a master of science degree in forestry and natural resources at Purdue University with the Forest Advanced Computing and Artificial Intelligence Lab. She presented at the Forest Inventory and Analysis Stakeholder conference on the “Shade tolerance of tree species and drivers of successional change across the contiguous United States.” Over the course of three summers at the Arboretum, she gained experience with a wide range of fieldwork techniques and tools that now help her plan and conduct fieldwork for her own research. This field season, she will be visiting 60 private forests across Indiana and extracting over 600 tree cores.

Loren Ladd (2021) completed her undergraduate degree at Wheaton College and plans to attend graduate school. She is currently working as a viticulture technician for a vineyard management company in the heart of Oregon wine country. The position involves various field sampling techniques, agricultural data analysis, viticulture-related experimentation, and client communication. She also joined a local forestry and conservation club, which she attributes to the lingering positive impact of her time at the Arboretum. Her work as a Center for Tree Science Research Technician Fellow reinforced her desire to enter the field of conservation and provided a realistic perspective on how research and management practices are connected. 

Kamil Orozco (2021) has completed her undergraduate degree at Dominican University and is pursuing a master’s degree in environmental management at the Duke University Nicholas School for the Environment. She is currently working part-time in a toxicology lab at Duke University, as well as for Durham Parks and Recreation, and states her summer at the Arboretum helped narrow down what she wanted to do with her environmentally focused education. As a lifelong resident of Chicago, she was excited to move and get her first apartment, enjoying the amazing North Carolina weather and many new experiences.  

Kasey Pham (2014–2017) finished their bachelor of science and master of science degrees, and is currently pursuing a PhD in botany at the University of Florida. Pham is the first author on a textbook chapter in the Encyclopedia of Biodiversity (in press), has a paper in review at The Plant Journal, and is a workshop organizer for Botany 2023, as well as a presenter. Pham noted that the Arboretum is still one of the warmest, most affirming research spaces they have experienced in their career, and convinced them to go into research in plant science and obtain a PhD. 

Student Blog Series

Student researchers in the annual REU program use trees as model systems to investigate questions related to evolution, ecology, conservation, and management in natural and built environments.

Individuals gain direct experience in all aspects of a research project, from researching the primary literature to sampling design, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting at a final symposium.

Learn about the projects and experiences of past students in the Student Blog Series.