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Knoxville airport before departure, from left to right, Dr. Andrey Abramov (Russian mentor), and the IRES 2016 students Alexander Eddie, Elizabeth Grater, Amanda Clack, and Kayla Wilfong. The IRES 2016 students and Russian mentors, from left to right, Dr. Elizaveta Rivkina, Dr. Ekaterina Durdenko, Amanda Clack, Elizabeth Grater, Dr. Elena Spirina, Kayla Wilfong, and Alexander Eddie. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. The IRES 2016 students during summer course in the Soil Cryology Lab at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. Expending cultural experience during visits to Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. Expending cultural experience during visits to Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. Expending cultural experience during visits to Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. Expending cultural experience during visits to Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. Expending cultural experience during visits to Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. Expending cultural experience during visits to Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. Expending cultural experience during visits to Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. Expending cultural experience during visits to Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. Expending cultural experience during visits to Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. Expending cultural experience during visits to Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. Expending cultural experience during visits to Moscow, and Saint Petersburg. Orthodox Church of Archangel Michael, Pushchino. Walk through the Green Zone park, Pushchino. View on the Oka River, Pushchino. Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences, Pushchino. Hotel “Pushchino”, Pushchino Russian food. Russian food.

IRES: Undergraduate Research Opportunities in Microbiology and Biogeosciences of Siberian Deep Subsurface Permafrost

Former IRES students

This International Research Experience for Students (IRES) program has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and would take place in the summers of 2016-2018 in the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences (IPBPSS), Pushchino, Russia. The IRES site for Biological and Biogeochemical Educational Experiences of Siberian permafrost is led by the University of Tennessee, under the direction of Dr. Tatiana A. Vishnivetskaya and Dr. Karen Lloyd. They are directing the program and coordinating with their Russian hosts, Drs. Elizaveta M. Rivkina and Elena V. Spirina at the Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Sciences (IPBPSS), and with guest mentor Dr. L. Ziolkowski of the University of South Carolina.

Each year four undergraduate students are going to be recruited for 6 weeks long IRES program. These undergraduate students with major in geosciences and microbiology will be working on research projects with Russian and US mentors. The students will study unique deep subsurface permafrost sediments collected in the northeast Siberia, Russia; broaden interdisciplinary research experience and learn first-hand how research is done in foreign academic institution. In addition to research seminars, and laboratory studies, the students will receive instruction on poster presentations and will be required to present their research project.


Aerial view of the study site in the northeast Siberian Arctic, Russia

Permafrost samples freshly drilled out


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