The undergraduate vacation bursary is open to all BSPP members and will provide modest support for work on specified research projects during the summer vacation. The objective of the bursaries is to provide undergraduates considering a research career with some practical experience in a plant pathology laboratory and to assist supervisors to meet some specific research objectives.

Applications are invited from supervisors on behalf of an identified student. Students should be in the middle year(s) of their degree course and each BSPP member will be restricted to making a single application annually. Bursaries will be awarded on a competitive basis.

The bursary is not transferable and students will receive a sum of 200 pounds sterling per week to cover their living expenses. A sum of 500 pounds sterling will also be provided for consumables. Bursaries will be for a maximum of 10 weeks and a minimum of 8 weeks. In the event of a successful application, cheques will be made payable to the institution in which the student will work who should arrange payment weekly in arrears subject to satisfactory attendance and performance. The final payment should be made only after a short report (500 words maximum), completed by the student, has been submitted to BSPP via the supervisor. For details on the format of this report see instructions for busary fund authors and examples that were condensed for BSPP News.

You can apply for an undergraduate vacation bursary by downloading an application form in MS Word or Acrobat Reader formats below.
	bsppvac.doc (MS Word 104kb)
	bsppvac.pdf (Acrobat Reader 32kb)

Application forms must be returned by the closing date of 1 April to:

Dr Gary Lyon (BSPP Education Officer)
The Scottish Crop Research Institute, 
Invergowrie,
Dundee, DD2 5DA
Scotland, UK

Tel: +44(0)1382 568538
Fax: +44(0)1382 562426

e-mail: education@bspp.org.uk

Notification of the results of applications will be made after consideration by the Education sub-committee of BSPP Board.

Student Bursaries Awarded 2007

Applicant: Prof Sarah Gurr
Supervisor: Prof Sarah Gurr
Title: A role for NO in pathogenicity in the rice blast fungus?
At: Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3RB
Student: Clare Turbervill
Time: 10 weeks (commencing July 2007)           

Applicant: Prof. George P C Salmond
Supervisor: Prof. George P C Salmond 
Title: Molecular analysis of an endophytic Serratia strain that makes an antifungal, biocontrol antibiotic.
At: Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Building O. Downing Site, Tennis Court Rd, Cambridge CB2 1QW
Student: Miss Madushi K. Wanaguru
Time: 10 weeks (commencing July 2007).

Applicant: Prof Gary Foster
Supervisor: Prof Gary Foster
Title: Investigating genes involved in symptom variation in Pepino mosaic virus on tomato using recombinant infectious clones
At: School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UG
Student: Jonathan Crouch
Time: 10 weeks (commencing 01/07/07)

Applicant: Dr Robert Henry Arnold Coutts
Supervisor: Title: Isolation of dsRNAs from a range of Phytophthora spp.; Polymerase chain reaction amplification of complementary DNAs from dsRNA; cloning and/or direct sequencing of amplicons; bioinformatic analysis of sequence data; construction of phylograms.
At: Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Imperial College Rd, London SW7 2AZ
Student: Marcus Blagrove
Time: 10 weeks (commencing 23 June 2007)            

Applicant: Dr Andrew Mark Bailey
Supervisor:
Title: Gene disruption in Mycosphaerella graminicola
At: School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Rd, Bristol BS8 1UG
Student: Rachel Curnock
Time: 10 weeks (commencing 2 July 2007)

Applicant: Dr Eric Boa
Supervisor: Dr Rob Reeder, Mrs Paula Kelly, Dr Eric Boa
Title: The art of diagnosis: learning how the Global Plant Clinic helps producers in developing countries identify the cause of plant diseases and what to do about them.
At: GPC, CABI, Bakeham Lane, Egham, Surrey TW20 9TY
Student: Francesca Blythe
Time: tba

Applicant: Jonathan West
Supervisor: Jonathan West
Title: Measurement of airborne inoculum of toxin-producing fungal diseases of wheat grain
At: Plant-Pathogen Interactions, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, AL5 2JQ
Student: Clare Rebecca Elliott
Time: 10 weeks

Applicant: Prof Bruce DL Fitt
Supervisor: Prof Bruce DL Fitt
Title: Cost of climate change-induced increase in range and severity of Phoma stem canker on UK oilseed rape.
At: Oilseeds Pathology Group, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts AL5 2JQ
Student: Michael Howard Butterworth
Time: 10 weeks (commencing 24^th June 2007)

Applicant: Dr Simon Weller
Supervisor: Dr Simon Weller
Title: Identifying, to species level, a novel Rhizobium strain which harbours an Agrobacterium Ri-plasmid
At: Central Science Laboratory, Plant Health Group, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ
Student: Charlotte Bicker
Time: 10 weeks (commencing 18^th June 2007).

Applicant: Matt Dickinson
Supervisor: Matt Dickinson
Title: Isolation and characterization of mobile DNA elements in phytoplasmas
At: University of Nottingham, School of Biosciences, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, LE12 5 RD
Student: Laura Deakin
Time: 8 weeks         

Applicant: Dr Dale Walters
Supervisor: Dr Dale Walters
Title: Coating leaves for disease control: using novel polymers derived from cereals to control foliar pathogens.
At: Crop & Soil Systems Research Group, SAC, King’s Buildings, West Mains Rd, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
Student: Christine Jesson
Time: 10 weeks.

Student Bursaries Awarded 2006

Applicant: Prof Bruce Fitt
Supervisors: Prof Bruce Fitt, Dr Bart Fraaije, Dr Simon Atkins, Prof John Lucas
Title: Historical dynamics of diseases of barley leaves.
At: Rothamsted Research, Plant Pathogen Interactions Division, West Common, Harpenden, Herts AL5 2JQ
Student: Teresa Joanne Punch
Time: 8 weeks; Value of award £2,100

Applicant: Prof Chris Dowson and Prof Peter Mills
Supervisors: Prof Chris Dowson and Prof Peter Mills
Title: Pseudomonas in mushrooms; pathogenicity assessments
At: Biological Sciences and Warwick HRI. [Address to Prof Peter Mills, Warwick HRI, Wellesbourne, Warwick, CV35 9EF
Student: Eleanor Pinnock
Time: 10 weeks; Value of award £2,500

Applicant: Dr Anna Gordon
Supervisor: Dr Anna Gordon
Title: Using molecular diagnostics to unravel pea downy mildew epidemiology and evolution
At: Centre for Disease Resistance and Diagnostics, NIAB, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge, CB3 0LE
Student: Quynh Trang To
Time: 10 weeks; Value of award £2,500

Applicant: Dr Elaine Ward
Supervisor: Dr Elaine Ward
Title: Analysis of interactions between isolates of Polymyxa species, their plant hosts and the viruses they transmit.
At: Plant Pathogen Interactions Division, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 2JQ
Student: Sahil Chouhan
Time: 10 weeks; Value of award £2,500

Applicant: Dr Alexander Hilton
Supervisor: Dr Alex Hilton
Title: Weeds and crop plants as hosts for Colletotrichum coccodes
At: Select Services, SAC, Ferguson Building, Bucksburn, Aberdeen
Student: Derek Johnston Selbie
Time: 10 weeks; Value of award £2,500

Applicant: Dr Kim Hammond-Kosack
Supervisors: Dr Kim Hammond-Kosack, Dr Martin Urban, Dr Chris Bass, Thomas Baldwin.
Title: Identification and characterisation of Fusarium graminearum mutants reduced in pathogenicity on wheat ears
At: Plant-Pathogen Interaction Division, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Herts AL5 2JQ|
Student: Pierre Carion
Time: 10 weeks; Value of award £2,500

Applicant: Dr Robert Henry Arnold Coutts
Supervisors: Dr Robert Henry Arnold Coutts
Title: Understanding the virology of Phytophthora endornavirus 1
At: Division of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Imperial College Rd, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ
Student: Katarina Grznarova
Time: 10 weeks; Value of award £2,500

Applicant: Prof Sarah Gurr
Supervisors: Prof Sarah Gurr and Prof Andrew Smith
Title: Metal hyper-accumulation in plants: an effective elemental defence against fungal pathogens?
At: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3RB
Student: Catherine Charter
Time: 10 weeks; Value of award £2,500  

Student Bursaries Awarded 2005

Student: Theresa Renee Ball, Supervisors: Dr. Matthew Dickinson, University of Nottingham
Project: Development of improved PCR-based techniques for phytoplasma identification and classification

Student: Rebecca Elizabeth Miller, Supervisor: Dr. Vivian C. Blok, Scottish Crop Research Institute
Project: Detection and quantification of Globodera rostochiensis and G. pallida in Scottish soil samples

Student: Susanne Ude, Supervisor: Dr. Robert Henry Coutts, Imperial College London
Project: Development of an Arabidopsis infection model for Burkholderia cepacia

Student: Calum Davis, Supervisor: Dr. Gail M. Preston, University of Oxford
Project: Disease resistance in metal-hyperaccumulating plants

Student: Michael Richard Todd, Supervisor: Dr. Gary Loake, University of Edinburgh
Project: A screen of genetic modifiers of Atgsnor1-3

Student: Xiaoqiang Zhang, Supervisor: Dr. Avice M. Hall, University of Hertfordshire
Project: Calibration and quantification of molecular tests for Podosphaera aphanis

Student: Hye Min Kim, Supervisor: Prof. Sarah Gurr, University of Oxford
Project: Adhesives associated with the appresorial germ tube

Student: Kimberley Anne Oldham, Supervisor: Dr. Kim Hammond-Kosack, Rothamsted Research
Project: Use of the TILLING technique and diploid wheat to define critical defence signalling components for hexaploid wheat

Student: Kevin K. Booth, Supervisor: Dr. Fiona Doohan, UCD, Ireland
Project: The role of polyamines in the response of wheat to trichothecene mycotoxins

Student Bursaries Awarded 2004

Student: Helen Lovell, Supervisor: Dr. Dawn Arnold, Centre for Research in Plant Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol
Project: An investigation into the effect of the avirulence gene avrPpiG on plant cell signalling in bean and Arabidopsis.

Student: Sarah Lee, Supervisor: Dr. Kim Hammond-Kosack, Rothamsted Research
Project: Identification and characterisation of Fusarium graminearum mutants reduced in pathogenicity on wheat ears.

Student: Laura Deakin, Supervisor: Dr. Sarah Gurr, University of Oxford
Project: Secreted protein identification in Magnaporthe grisea.

Student: Peter Davenport, Supervisor: Prof. George Salmond, University of Cambridge
Project: Exploiting bacterial viruses as functional genomic probes for new surface virulence determinants in Erwinia.

Student: Genevieve Lawlor, Supervisor: Dr. Fiona Doohan, UCD, Ireland
Project:. Effect of Fusarium mycotoxins on plant cells

Student: Laura Taylor, Supervisor: Dr. Richard Amey, Centre for Research in Plant Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol
Project: A proteomic approach to the identification of proteins differentially regulated during Peronospora viciae infection in susceptible and resistant pea cultivars.

Student: Stephanie Gardham, Supervisor: Dr. Stephen Rossall, University of Nottingham
Project: The effect of fungicides on malting barley quality.

Student Bursaries Awarded 2003

Student: Mike Andrews, Supervisor: Dr. Adrian C. Newton, Scottish Crop Research Institute
Project: Development of resistance gene pedigree analysis tools for barley and integrated database for pathogen genotype and phenotype data.

Student: Hannah Stickland, Supervisor: Dr. Paul Dyer, Nottingham University
Project: Development of tRNA fingerprinting for analysis of the cereal eyespot pathogen Tapesia

Student: Ana Maria Martin Sanchez, Supervisor: Dr. Robert Coutts, Imperial College, London.
Project: Completion of the genome sequence of curcubit yellow stunting disorder virus (CYSDV) RNA 1

Student: Alexa Fears, Supervisor: Dr. Neal Evans, Rothamsted Research
Project: Analysis and modelling of airborne Leptosphaeria maculans ascospore concentration changes ver time

Student: Catherine Kerr, Supervisor: Dr. Ruairidh Bain, SAC
Project: Phytophthora infestans: the role of latent infection of seed tubers in the epidemiology of potato late blight

Student: Mary Cavanagh, Supervisor: Dr. Sarah Gurr, University of Oxford
Project: Erysiphae graminis and the role of aquaporin channels in primary and appressorial germ tube development

Student: Katy Jordan, Supervisor: Dr. Gail Preston, University of Oxford
Project: Characterisation of lytic factors in Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25

Student: Angela Gillies, Supervisor: Dr. Vivian Blok, Scottish Crop Research Institute
Project: Investigation of a unique promoter trap population of potato by nematode challenge, molecular analysis and confocal microscopy

Student: Angela McGahern, Supervisor: Dr. Fiona Doohan, University College Dublin
Project: In vivo analysis of novel mycotoxin-responsive wheat genes

Student Bursaries Awarded 2002

Jenny Bowers, University of Bristol, to work with Gary Foster on T-DNA tagging in the mycopathogen Verticillium fungicola.

George McCallum, University of Strathclyde to work with Michael Mattey on the effect of a chitin synthase inhibitor on Plasmodiophora brassicae infections of cabbage.

Marianne Mitchell, St. Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, to work with Sally Francis, IACR Broom’s Barn, on microscopic and molecular studies of sugar beet powdery mildew.

Karen Parker, University of Nottingham, to work with Matt Dickinson on regulation of gene expression through DNA methylation during wheat rust development.

Ben Pascoe, University of Hertfordshire, to work with Avice Hall on the control of Diplocarpon rosae and other foliar diseases on roses via Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR). 

Christelle Pinsard, Ecole Nationale Superieur d’Agronomie et des Industries Alimentaire, France, to work with Helen Grogan, Horticulture Research International, on transmission of mushroom virus X (MVX): cropping experiments using fresh spores.

Joanna Woodrow, St. Hilda’s College, University of Oxford, to work with Hannah Jones, The Eden Project, St. Austell, on an investigation in to the use of aromatic (essential) oils for the control of phytopathogenic diseases, using the plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea as a representative fungal species.

Sarah Usher, University of the West of England, to work with Dawn Arnold on the use of a direct optical sensor to detect plant/bacteria interacting proteins.

Student Bursaries Awarded 2001

Reports by the students on their projects appear in the Spring 2002 issue (no. 41) of BSPP News.

Thomas Winter, University of Cambridge, to work with George Salmond, University of Cambridge, on analysis of new quorum sensing gene loci by hybridisation, allelic exchange and mutagenesis in Erwinia carotovora.

Kulvinder Kaur, University of Oxford, to work with Peter Mills and Michael Challen, HRI Wellesbourne, on molecular characterisation of a novel dsRNA mushroom virus.

Susan Atwell, Imperial College at Wye, to work with Murray Grant, Imperial College at Wye, on genetic characterisation of resistance in Arabidopsis to important Brassica isolates of  Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris.

Catherine Eyre, University of Oxford, to work with Ziguo Zhang, University of Oxford, on powdery mildew: coping with the hostile environment of the plant.

Carolyn Green, University of Paisley, to work with Julie Eastgate, University of Paisley, on studies into the interaction between the phytopathogen Erwinia amylovora and cultured apple cells.

Martin Croft, University of Birmingham, to work with Clive Bock, IACR-Rothamsted, on the fitness cost of fungicide resistance in Rhychosporium secalis, causal agent of leaf blotch of barley.

Goulielmos Garifallou, University of Wolverhampton, to work with Peter Jenkinson, Harper Adams University College, on preliminary survey of the incidence of anastomosis groups of Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn in potato crops in the UK.

Dewi S. Davies, University of Wales, Bangor, to work with David Cooke, SCRI Dundee, on development and use of molecular markers for studying late blight population biology.

Robert Rees, University of Edinburgh, to work with Ulrike Krauss, CATIE, Costa Rica, on enhancing the germination of Gliocladium spp. for the purpose of biological control of cocoa pathogens.

Student Bursaries Awarded 2000

Reports by the students on their projects appear in the Spring 2001 issue (no. 38) of BSPP News.

Marianne White (University of Glasgow) working with Tony Reglinski at HortResearch, New Zealand on "Combining SAR and ISR to enhance disease resistance of hydroponically grown glasshouse tomatoes"

Helen Wicks (University of Nottingham) working with Dr Neal Evans at IACR - Rothamsted on "Cultural and molecular analysis of the UK Leptosphaeria maculans (stem canker) population"

Charlotte Hogg (Strathclyde University/SAC) working with Dr Peter Scott at CAB International on "Information required for quarantine pest risk analysis (PRA)"

David Chilton (Brunel University) working with Dr B D L Fitt at IACR - Rothamsted on "Resistance of Mycosphaerella linicola to MBC fungicides"

Joanne Perkins (University of Birmingham) working with Dr Jonathan R Green (University of Birmingham) on "Development of appressoria of the bean anthracnose fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum"

Elizabeth M Byron (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire) working with Avice M Hall at the University of Hertfordshire on "Fungicide resistance in Diplocarpon rosae"

Student Bursaries Awarded 1999

Reports by the students on their projects appear in the Spring 2000 issue (no. 36) of BSPP News.

Alison Carmichael, University of  Hertfordshire, to work with Avice Hall on "Biocontrol of Leptosphaeria maculans with Cyathus sp."

Angela Feechan, University of Edinburgh, to  work with Gary Loake on "Identification of novel disease resistance genes by functional genomics"

Lorna Hall, University of Strathclyde, to  work with Ruairidh Bain, SAC Auchincruive, on "Resistance of aerial tubers to potato blackleg (Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica)"

Hardip Kaur, University of Birmingham, to  work with Nicola Spence, HRI Wellesbourne, on "Using molecular diagnostics to investigate emerging plant virus problems in  the UK protected ornamentals industry"

Helen Meakin, University of Nottingham, to  work with Paul Dyer on "Population biology of eyespot disease of cereals caused by Tapesia"

Russell Palmer, University of Wales, Bangor,  to work with Jim Duncan, SCRI, Dundee, on "The development of co-dominant markers to study the population biology of Phytophthora infestans"

Steven Piper, Napier University, Edinburgh,  to work with Ulrike Krauss, CATIE, Costa Rica on "Biocontrol of cocoa disease"

Kenneth Ross, University of Aberdeen, to  work with Rob Clayton, SAC Aberdeen, on "Systemic induced resistance to late blight in tomatoes"

Elizabeth Sims, University of Hertfordshire,  to work with Roger Williams, IACR Rothamsted, on "Integrated air sampling and PCR-based assays for the detection of ascospores of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum"

Caroline Smith, University of Nottingham, to  work with John Mansfield, Wye College, University of London, on "Screening of Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola avr mutants on bean"

Anthony Scott-Tucker, University of  Birmingham, to work with Dez Barbara, HRI Wellesbourne, on "Molecular diversity among isolates of raspberry bushy dwarf virus  and its relation to epidemiology"

David Thomsom, University of Strathclyde, to  work with Mark McQuilken, SAC Auchincruive, on "Distribution of fungicide-resistant strains of Botrytis cinerea in ericaceous plant nurseries in the west of  Scotland and the evaluation of novel fungicides"

Annabel Whibley, Magdalen College,  University of Oxford, to work with Sarah Gurr, Department of Plant Sciences, on "Cyclic AMP signal and germ tube differentiation in  the tomato powdery mildew fungus"

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