RCN: a pilot program for establishing local interaction networks to enhance plant-related research involving undergraduates

The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire received a $452,071 Project Grant award, effective September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2029, from the National Science Foundation's Division of Integrative Organismal Systems under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074). This pilot initiative establishes a nationwide network of Highly Local Plant Interaction Networks (HLPINs), each serving specific geographical regions across the United States. The HLPINs will support the professional development of scientist-educators who mentor undergraduates in plant-related research and teaching, with particular emphasis on serving faculty at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) who typically have limited access to research collaborations and institutional resources.

The primary deliverables under this award include facilitation of information exchange and collaborative research partnerships among plant scientists at various career stages, ranging from graduate students to experienced faculty. The HLPINs will address critical national needs in sustainable agriculture, food production, and environmental preservation by enhancing undergraduate recruitment, training, mentoring, and retention in plant science research. By establishing these regional interaction networks, the project aims to develop a qualified talent pool for the nation's scientific workforce while advancing understanding of how plant structure, physiology, and environmental factors interact to affect plant growth and function.

Abstract

As population levels increase, the need for more productive and sustainable agriculture systems to feed the world?s population and maintain human health is critical. Effectively addressing challenges related to agriculture, food production, and preservation of the environment will require the interaction of scientists with a wide variety of expertise as well as a workforce trained in those areas. This project will support a pilot program to establish a nationwide network of highly local plant interaction networks (?hlpins?) that will support the professional development of scientist/educators who mentor undergraduates in research and whose research and teaching directly or indirectly involves plants and related organisms. Each hlpin will cover a specific geographical region within the U.S. And be open to individuals from all types of institutions of higher education and all career stages from graduate students to experienced faculty. The hlpins will be particularly relevant and useful for faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions (puis), as these individuals often lack consistent interactions with colleagues related to research and typically have fewer institutional resources to support their research programs. IT is envisioned that these hlpins will facilitate information exchange and create research collaborations, both between individuals and between different segments of the plant science community, that will lead to a better understanding of how plant structure and physiology interplays with the physical environment and with other organisms to affect plant growth and function. In addition, hlpins will provide a means for more effective recruitment, training, mentoring, and retention of undergraduates, which is critical for establishing a pool of talent to supply the nation?s needs in the sciences. This initiative will support the initiation, development, and evaluation of four hlpins, bringing together scientists representing multiple institutions, scientific societies, and a wide breadth of expertise in plant-related fields. These four hlpins, one based in the upper midwest, one in the eastern great lakes region, one in the mid-atlantic region, and one in the southwest, will serve as pilots with the goal of eventually developing a nationwide network supported by interactions that span research scales (from the genome and cellular level, to whole-plant physiology, to plant interactions with other organisms and the physical environment, to plant participation in the broader ecosystem). A typical hlpin will consist of individuals who are in sufficient proximity to make travel for semi-annual one-day in-person meetings feasible. Short meetings, which are both time- and cost-efficient, will encourage broader and more consistent participation and provide a venue for students to present their research. Hlpin meetings will facilitate exchange of ideas and strategies for research and for teaching and mentoring students. While undergraduate mentoring and development of research programs will be the primary focus of the hlpins, enhanced institutional support of research and the development of education infrastructure may also result through these direct connections and strong synergies between research and teaching for university faculty. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.