LSU CURE Laboratory Courses

LSU CURE (course-based undergraduate research experiences) allows for the integration of authentic research projects into introductory biology laboratory courses. To better understand science and gain confidence in their abilities to do scientific research, CURE labs are built around a semester-long agenda to include authentic, in-house research projects. While much of the curriculum is focused on building science literacy skills, research-based labs within the agenda focus on a single research project throughout the semester. By answering questions that are unknown and relevant, student work produced within CURE labs is valuable beyond the classroom.

LSU CURE Projects – Spring 2025

This semester, student projects highlighted the following research goals:

· Investigation into the evolutionary history of fungal parasites in the Taphrinomycotina. (Drs. J. Esselstyn, V. Doyle, and J. Brown; Spenser Babb-Biernacki)

· Effect of increasing temperature on turion germination and plant growth using common duckweed, Spirodela polyrhiza. (Dr. J. Tan; Yifeng Cao and Jada Daniels)

· Investigation of antibiotic resistance in a naturally occurring bacterium, Burkholderia thailandensis, using transposon mutagenesis. (Dr. A. Grove; Elaine Nkwocha)

· Growth of diatoms native to Japan and means of their economic exploitation with the aim of large-scale production in Louisiana. (Brent Larson)