Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship (DSRF) Story: Yuzhe Yuan

Yuzhe was awarded the Deans' Summer Research Fellowship for summer 2024. Learn more about her time below.

Author: Yuzhe Yuan

What challenges did you encounter during your research and how did you work through these difficulties?

Plant research generally take a long time, and some fungi are hard to study in the lab. I think the most important thing is to stay patient and keep trying.

What sparked your interest in this field?  

My interest in fungi was inspired through reading and working as a research assistant in the Mycology lab. I am fascinated by the symbiosis between plants and fungi, and how this shaped our ecosystems. A lot of questions remain in this field, such as what communities are present in different plant rhizospheres, how do the system adapt to changing environments, and what mechanisms dictate plant-microbe interactions.

Curious about DSRF?

This project was made possible through the Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship (DSRF)—a unique opportunity for rising juniors and seniors in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences to pursue funded summer research full-time!  

Effective this 2025-2026 Academic year, we are rebranding DSRF to be the Trinity Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research Fellowship (T-SUMR)! If you're pursuing graduation with distinction and are passionate about research, consider applying to T-SUMR in December of your Sophomore or Junior year.