{"id":69550,"date":"2025-07-30T07:41:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T11:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=69550"},"modified":"2025-08-06T08:09:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T12:09:04","slug":"research-on-the-road-a-conversation-with-reu-student-ben-dewitt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2025\/07\/research-on-the-road-a-conversation-with-reu-student-ben-dewitt\/","title":{"rendered":"Research on the road: A conversation with REU student Ben DeWitt\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ben

Ben DeWitt is participating in the Integrative Microbial and Plant Systems Research REU at North Carolina State University.<\/p><\/div>\n

Every summer, several undergraduate students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga leave their comfort zones and embark on learning experiences at other universities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Think lab work, field research, seminars, faculty mentorship, bonding with peers and exploring new cities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These opportunities are made possible thanks to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, which provides funding for students to spend the summer collaborating on research projects at institutions across the country.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

===================================================<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/strong> to read other UTC REU stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

===================================================<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ben DeWitt <\/span>is spending<\/span> his summer in Raleigh, North Carolina, participating in the Integrative Microbial and Plant Systems Research REU at North Carolina State University.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A rising senior at UTC, DeWitt is majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry. He\u2019s also a Brock Scholar in the Honors College.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is what he had to say about his REU experience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How did you first hear about REUs?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI found out about REUs through word of mouth. One of my friends had done one, and the Office of National Scholarships and the Honors College would mention them from time to time.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI found this specific opportunity through the NSF REU website. They have a big list of programs, so I just searched my area of interest, which is biology, and this was one of the ones that stood out to me. I applied and was fortunate to get in.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tell me about the REU itself. What kind of research are you doing?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe program is called Integrative Microbial and Plant Systems Research and there are six students participating this summer. Each project is a little different since it spans both microbial and plant biology.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy project focuses on the signaling of a plant hormone called ethylene and its relationship to something called the \u2018triple response.\u2019 I\u2019m working with a model organism called <\/span>Arabidopsis thaliana<\/span><\/i>. When Arabidopsis seedlings are grown in the dark and exposed to ethylene, they show this distinct triple response: the hypocotyl and root are shortened, the hypocotyl thickens and the apical hook curls. It\u2019s a really visual way to measure sensitivity to ethylene.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSpecifically, I\u2019m looking at something called the \u2018rapid response,\u2019 which involves two periods of growth inhibition shortly after exposure to ethylene. The transcription factors that regulate this are still unknown. So my work involves generating mutant lines that lack certain transcription factor genes to see which ones might be involved in the signaling process.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does a typical day look like for you?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty much a 9-to-5 lab schedule, but it varies a lot depending on what stage of the research we\u2019re in.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome days involve collecting plant tissue and running PCR <\/span>(polymerase chain reaction)<\/span> to amplify specific genes so we can check for successful mutations. Lately, I\u2019ve been working on a method called the CEL I assay. It\u2019s a way to detect mutations by mixing a wild-type DNA strand with a potentially mutated one. If there\u2019s a mismatch, the CEL I enzyme cuts the DNA at that point. Then, when we run gel electrophoresis, we can see if the cut occurred, which tells us if a mutation is present.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that, if we think there\u2019s a successful mutation, we send the samples off for sequencing to confirm whether the mutation is actually there.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That sounds like an interesting hands-on experience. Has it been fun?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it\u2019s been both fun and very educational. Even when I\u2019m not actively doing something, like when the PCR machine is running, I\u2019m reading literature or talking to lab mates. It\u2019s a very intellectually engaging environment. It\u2019s not just following a set plan and then doing the steps. It\u2019s always changing.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you had time to explore Raleigh outside of the lab?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been to some great restaurants. There\u2019s a lot of variety here. One of my favorite places so far is the arboretum owned by NCSU. It\u2019s nice to walk around and there are lots of natural green spaces. There are some museums that I\u2019d like to go to that I haven\u2019t made my way over to yet.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does it mean to you to have this kind of research experience as an undergraduate?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaving research experience while in undergrad is really important. I knew I wanted to do research, but I didn\u2019t really know exactly what I wanted to do research in. I also didn\u2019t know what research really looked <\/span>like; it<\/span> was just an idea in my mind. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really important to be exposed to that in undergrad because it\u2019s changed my idea of what I want for the future. I\u2019ve learned what I enjoy and what I think is not for me.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe lab environment has made me realize that the community aspect of doing research is really something special. You\u2019re friends with everyone in the lab, and you\u2019re always having conversations while you\u2019re doing your work and helping each other with various troubles that you run into. I\u2019ve really come to realize that I think research is what I want to do. Because I had that experience, I know I like it.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more<\/h4>\n

Visit UTC<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC REU student stories<\/a><\/p>\n

UTC Department of Chemistry<\/a><\/p>\n

REU opportunities<\/a><\/p>\n

How to apply<\/a><\/p>\n

Enzyme extraction research photos by Ben DeWitt<\/h4>\n
\"IMG_3953\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_3957\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_3962\" <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"20250527_DNAextraction_EIL5_test2_Ben <\/a> <\/div> <\/div>
\"20250715_CEL1_EIL4_2_1_32bit_ben <\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ben DeWitt is spending his summer in Raleigh, North Carolina, participating in the Integrative Microbial and Plant Systems Research REU at North Carolina State University.\u00a0This is what he had to say about his REU experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2000,"featured_media":69764,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[64,70,123865,12746,48128,61,122493,122313,12745,48007,661,123696],"tags":[125786,123827,124776,125787,122088,123829,123009,125783,123605],"class_list":{"0":"post-69550","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-biology-geology-and-environmental-science","9":"category-brock-scholars-honors-college","10":"category-chemistry-physics","11":"category-college-of-arts-sciences","12":"category-education","13":"category-experiential-learning","14":"category-honors-college-2","15":"category-news","16":"category-research-academics","17":"category-students","18":"category-urace","19":"tag-ben-dewitt","20":"tag-creating-the-mocs-experience","21":"tag-mocs-learn-mocs-do-mocs-lead","22":"tag-north-carolina-state-university","23":"tag-office-of-national-scholarships","24":"tag-operating-with-excellence","25":"tag-reu","26":"tag-reu-student-stories","27":"tag-trey-straussberger","28":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nResearch on the road: A conversation with REU student Ben DeWitt\u00a0 | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - 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