Jasmeen Kaur in the lab

Research Pack Abroad

Connecting undergraduate students to international research experiences.

Developing Research Skills Globally

Research Pack Abroad provides undergraduate students international research experience – working side-by-side with scientists and immersed in another culture. Students are connected with a host international research institution, where they conduct research for at least 2 months during the summer.

Through this experience students will:

  • Gain in-depth of knowledge of laboratory procedures and/or field research protocols
    at an international research institute
  • Communicate scientific terminology among international researchers
  • Demonstrate knowledge of host country’s work culture and local community culture
  • Develop new perspectives on student’s native culture and the ability to think critically about student’s values, beliefs and goals
  • Develop skill sets for maneuvering through complex situations and increase capability
    to problem solve
  • Develop knowledge of a foreign language through immersion

If you’re interested in participating in Research Pack Abroad, contact Dr. Adrienne Tucker at adrienne_tucker@ncsu.edu

Support our students to help them participate in Research Pack Abroad to reach their maximum research potential while having a global impact. 

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Partnering Institutions

Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA)

IPLA is located in a Villaviciosa, a small town in western Spain. The Institute conducts microbiology and biochemistry research focused on diary products and the impact of gut microbiota on human health.

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Universidad de Cuenca

Universidad de Cuenca is a public university located in Cuenca, Ecuador housing an Orchid Greenhouse and Faculties of Agriculture, Chemistry, Engineering, Medicine, Architecture and Urban Studies and more.

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Universitat Politècnica de València

La Universitat Politècnica de València is a university located in Valencia, Spain and focuses on academics and research in science and technology.

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Current Participants

2023

Renee Long is a senior in Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems and is conducting research at Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. Renee is working with Valencia Club Cocina to research gastronomy and food nutrition. She also gets to experience how a small business operates in Spain by assisting in some of the operational details of the cooking clubs business.

2023

Cormac Holland, a sophomore in Horticultural Science (Production Systems & Entrepreneurship) is spending the summer in Ecuador at the Universidad de Cuenca studying organic matter accumulation and nutrient cycling through litterfall collection procedures at several native and non-native tree plantations. Ecuador saw some of the highest deforestation rates on the planet between 1990-2015, so this information will provide science-backed research for reforestation / rewilding projects and reference data for new environmentally-friendly policies in the country.

2023

Brady Farlow is a junior double-majoring in Horticultural Science (Plant Breeding & Biotechnology) and Spanish. He contributes to research on sustainable urban Landscape Design & Management, focusing on cataloging campus tree species and their carbon dioxide sequestration potential. Additionally, Brady is involved in other research related to the synergies between green spaces and their utilization for enhancing "climate comfort," studying how these areas can optimize environmental conditions and promote well-being.

2023

Nicolas Mastrovito is a senior in Biochemistry and is conducting research at Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias (IPLA). He is helping IPLA to quantify certain antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) found in the gut microbiota of elderly subjects. This work will help to determine whether the level of ARGs in the human microbiota is associated with age, specific dietary habits, and microbiota composition. These findings could be useful for improving digestive health and preventing the spread of antibiotic-resistant microbes.

2023

Ashmi Dagar is a senior studying Agricultural Science with a minor in Agroecolgy and Agribusiness Management and is spending her summer in Spain researching sustainable farming practices at Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. Her research in Valencia involves analyzing extensive data sets, aiming to understand the impact of organic farming methods on the yield and quality of almond crops.

Past Participants

2019

Kelsey Kolar is a Biochemsitry student and conducted research at Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias, where she analyzed BlaSHV gene trends between term length and antibiotic treatment for infants over time. Kelsey's project was just a piece of the puzzle in developing early-life interventions to promote the establishment of health microbiota to reduce the risk of early-life and correlated diseases. Kelsey will be graduating in May 2020 and has her sights set on continuing in life sciences research.

2019

Eric Schneider is majoring in biochemistry with a minor in biotechnology and conducted research at Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias. Eric's research was a portion of the greater project to understand how Lactococcus lactis responds to cell wall damage.

2019

Critobal Cisneros, an Agroecology student, conducted soil moisture research at Universitat Politecnica de Valencia. Cristobal worked with Chufa, which is yellow nutsedge, and is used to make hortchata in Valencia.

2019

Bartolome Cisneros is a Biochemistry major who conducted onology research at Universitat Polticnica de Valencia. Bartolome worked along graduate students in the lab using an HPLC to quantify polyphenols in wine grapes.

2019

Alexandra Veverka is double majoring in plant and soil science with a concentration in crop biotechnology and Spanish language and literature. Alex conducted research at Universitat Polticnica de Valencia in biofumigation - using chemicals naturally found in plants to incorporate into the soil and eliminate pests issues.

2018

Jasmeen Kaur Mandair graduated with a BSc. in Biochemistry in May 2018. Jasmeen conducted research at Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias with a focus on developing technologies to create new food products by using the residue of Caseiculture, Milk Whey. Her research targeted two main objectives: developing nutritional beverages for people who are allergic to cow milk and reducing environmental waste by using milk whey as a key ingredient in those beverages.

2018

Kirby Morris, Senior in Biochemistry and Spanish, conducted research at Instituto de Productos Lácteos de Asturias. Kirby researched the binding abilities of two chimeric proteins containing the SH3 domains of Staph bacteriophage endolysins LysRODI and LysIPLA5 to address Staphylococcus antibiotic resistance.

2018

Mark Watson, Senior in Horticultural Sciences and Crop and Soil Sciences, conducted research at the International Potato Center. Mark worked in the field and the lab to characterize micronutrients in potato varieties grown in Peru to address health needs.

Follow the research pack's adventures Past Blog Posts

May 26, 2022

The Gift of Perspective

Dr. Tom Wentworth, Emeritus Professor of Plant and Microbial Biology, and his wife, Linda Rudd, made a generous contribution to Research Pack Abroad, which supports student research and faculty travel abroad.

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May 7, 2020

Growing Upward

Mark Watson, 2020 graduate from CALS, reflects on his time at NC State conducting research on campus and in Lima, Peru through Research Pack Abroad.

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Oct 3, 2019

The Wolfpack Abroad: The Research Pack of Summer 2019 in Spain

This past summer, 5 students participated in Research Pack Abroad. This program allowed these students to conduct research through host institutions in other countries, creating opportunities for both the exchange of scientific ideas and a cultural and linguistic immersion in an unfamiliar setting; an equally academic and social challenge for the student participants. 

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