Jake Harris is a graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Within the RIPE project, Jake’s work is related to how plants cope with excess light and how to optimize the distribution of light across a canopy. His research involves discovering genetic components that could be used in transgenic lines to enhance photoprotection or tuning gene expression throughout canopy positions and growth stages. Jake earned his bachelor’s degree in bioengineering at UIUC. He was also a Jonathan Baldwin Turner Fellowship Recipient.