REU Summer Program in Computational Biology

马里兰大学巴尔的摩分校 (UMBC) 数学与统计系将举办计算生物学本科生研究经验暑期项目。该项目每年为八名学生提供为期八周的资助，为期三年。学生学者将有机会从生物信息学或计算神经科学这两个高需求增长领域选择研究主题。该计划的目标是为本科生参与者提供有意义的研究经验，并通过所需的技术演示和项目书面报告帮助他们加强口头和书面技能。他们还将体验有关背景生物学和相关数学、统计和计算方法的密集核心研讨会。该系与生物科学系的关系比平常更密切，该项目将利用这种关系。该大学在本科生暑期项目方面拥有丰富的经验，该项目将利用其他有组织的社会和教育活动，包括对华盛顿-巴尔的摩地区研究设施的实地考察、道德研讨会、研究生学习信息研讨会以及与其他项目的学生学者举行的非正式社交活动。由于该大学被认为是美国第三大多元化校园，并且为历史上代表性不足的群体提供了全国认可的本科课程（Meyerhoff 和 MARU*STAR 计划），因此人们对从这些群体中招募和选择参与者非常感兴趣。项目网站的评估将遵循我们一位专门评估本科研究项目（包括 UMBC 的其他 REU 项目）的心理学教授的方法。

The Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) will host the Research Experiences for Undergraduates Summer Program in Computational Biology. This yearly eight-week program for eight students, has been funded for a three-year period. Student scholars will have a chance to select a research topic from either bioinformatics or computational neuroscience, both high-demand growth areas. The goal of the program is to provide a meaningful research experience to undergraduate student participants, and to help them strengthen their oral and written skills through required technical presentations and written reports on their projects. They will also experience an intensive core workshop on background biology and relevant mathematical, statistical, and computational methodologies. The Department has a closer than usual relationship with the Biological Sciences Department, and the program will draw on this relationship. The University has considerable experience in summer programs for undergraduates, and this program will take advantage of other organized social and educational activities, including field trips to research facilities in the Washington-Baltimore region, an ethics workshop, an informational workshop on graduate studies, and informal social events with student scholars from other programs. Because the University is considered the third most diversified campus in the country, and has nationally recognized undergraduate programs for historically underrepresented groups (Meyerhoff and MARU*STAR programs), there is a serious interest in recruiting and selecting participants from these groups. The evaluation of the program site will follow the methodology of one of our psychology professors who specializes in evaluating undergraduate research programs, including other REU programs at UMBC.