CREST: Center for Research Excellence in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

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Title: CREST Center for Research Excellence in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology New Mexico State UniversityHRD - 0420407PI - Desh RanjanWith NSF support, New Mexico State University (NMSU) will establish a Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BCB). The mission of the Center is to foster development of inter-disciplinary collaborative efforts in BCB. The Center combines the complementary expertise of a team of researchers from Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Agriculture. The research mission of the Center is the development of computational models that integrate the use of multiple, complex sources of data to enhance understanding of biological systems. The Center will pursue three research thrusts: (1) development of computational models and tools to extract knowledge from complex biological data sources; (2) development of novel computational methods to improve protein structure prediction; and (3) building computational tools to improve determination of the functionally important parts of the genomes and understand how these coordinate to make the various biological mechanisms function.Intellectual Merit of the Proposed ActivityThe New Mexico State University CREST Center will enable a wide range of research and educational activities, and create inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional collaborations significantly advancing knowledge of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. The research thrusts will advance understanding of biological phenomena. Broader Impact of the Proposed ActivityThe Center is in a unique position to benefit from and serve a diverse student population with a large presence of Native Americans and Hispanics. It will build on existing NMSU infrastructures to enhance minority participation in STEM, and extend their impact by providing access to academic excellence in BCB. The Center's educational infrastructure will lead to a comprehensive program, composed of outreach pathways towards high-schools and tribal colleges, research training, and a BCB Master 's degree.NMSU programs such as the MII Native American Pathways, the NIH Bridge in biomedical sciences, the NMSU NIGMS MARC program, and the NM-AMP, NM-ADVANCE, and NM-AGEP programs, will coordinate efforts with the Center.