IGERT: Interdisciplinary Research Training in Cellular Engineering

这个综合研究生教育和研究培训（IGERT）奖在马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校建立了一个新的跨学科培训计划，以解决新兴的细胞工程领域。工程细胞形态和功能是生物医学和生物技术工业中许多企业的基础，包括设计生物修复过程、产生人造器官/组织、从细胞培养中生产生物制剂、设计新的和改进的基于蛋白质的药物和靶向药物递送。学生从12个学位课程中选择一个，研究重点是三个相互关联的细胞工程重点领域之一：1)应用系统生物学，2)细胞传递和3)蛋白质工程。主要特点包括一个新颖的统一的讲座/实验课程，以培养生命科学家和工程师/物理科学家在细胞工程基础，跨学科的研究涉及“超小组”项目，学生寻求与相关的训练实验室合作；通过建立马萨诸塞-阿默斯特蜂窝工程研究所与工业界进行互动；每周研究研讨会，并提供指导；以及正式的专业发展活动。这个IGERT的领导层都是女性，而且有相当数量的女性教员参与。NEAGEP是由美国国家科学基金会资助的项目，由马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校共同领导，包括10个研究广泛机构和6个少数民族服务机构，这些机构合作增加获得科学、技术、工程和数学学科博士学位的未被充分代表的学生人数。这个IGERT鼓励教师之间在细胞工程方面的新颖研究合作，在部门之间建立新的桥梁项目，并为学员提供独特的学习机会。与细胞工程研究所有目的的结盟使与区域细胞工程公司的实质性互动成为可能，大大拓宽了学生的培训。IGERT是一项nsf范围内的计划，旨在满足教育美国博士科学家和工程师的挑战，他们具有跨学科背景，所选学科的深厚知识，以及未来职业需求所需的技术，专业和个人技能。该计划旨在通过建立创新的研究生教育和培训模式，在一个超越传统学科界限的合作研究的肥沃环境中，促进研究生教育的文化变革。

This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) award establishes a novel interdisciplinary training program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst to address the emerging field of Cellular Engineering. Engineering cellular form and function is the basis for many ventures in the biomedical and biotechnology industries, including design of bioremediation processes, generation of artificial organs/tissues, production of biologics from cell culture, design of new and improved protein-based pharmaceuticals and targeted drug delivery. Students matriculate in one of 12 degree programs with a research focus in one of three interrelated cellular engineering thrust areas: 1) Applied Systems Biology, 2) Cell Delivery and 3) Protein Engineering. Key features include a novel unifying lecture/laboratory course to train both life scientists and engineers/physical scientists in cellular engineering fundamentals, interdisciplinary research involving "supergroup" projects in which students seek out collaboration with a related training laboratory; interactions with industry through the established UMass-Amherst Institute for Cellular Engineering; weekly research seminars with a mentoring component; and formal professional development activities.This IGERT has all-female leadership and significant numbers of female faculty participants. Underrepresented students are recruited through the NEAGEP, an NSF-funded project co-led by UMass-Amherst and including ten research-extensive and six minority-serving institutions that collaborate to increase the number of underrepresented students who receive doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. This IGERT encourages novel research collaborations in cellular engineering among faculty, creating new bridging programs among departments and providing unique learning opportunities for trainees. Purposeful alignment with the Institute for Cellular Engineering enables substantial interaction with regional cellular engineering companies, significantly broadening student training. IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to catalyze a cultural change in graduate education by establishing innovative new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries.