This REU Site, Genes & the Environment:  Research Experiences for Undergraduates from Rural and Tribal Colleges, will provide hands-on summer research experiences to undergraduate students.  The scientific focus of this REU program is environmental influences on gene expression.  Research will be conducted under the mentorship of faculty at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND.  Mentors will work closely with students to develop an independent research project.  Some possible research projects involve investigation into environmental influences on epigenetic regulation of cortical development, learning and memory in fish and mice, neural stem cell fate, sex-determination in turtles, stress tolerance in nematodes, and wing patterning in butterflies and moths.  Research activities being conducted by REU faculty mentors include: