IGERT: Interdisciplinary Research Training in Cellular Engineering

这一综合性研究生教育和研究培训(IGERT)奖项在马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校设立了一个新颖的跨学科培训计划，以应对新兴的细胞工程领域。设计细胞形态和功能是生物医学和生物技术行业许多项目的基础，包括设计生物修复过程、生成人造器官/组织、从细胞培养生产生物制剂、设计新的和改进的基于蛋白质的药物和靶向药物输送。学生攻读12个学位课程之一，重点研究三个相互关联的细胞工程主要领域之一：1)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讲座/实验室课程，在细胞工程基础方面培训生命科学家和工程师/物理学家；涉及“超级小组”项目的跨学科研究，学生在其中寻求与相关培训实验室的合作；通过已建立的UMAS-Amherst细胞工程研究所与行业互动；每周带有指导部分的研究研讨会；以及正式的专业发展活动。代表不足的学生是通过NEAGEP招募的，这是一个由NSF资助的项目，由马萨诸塞州大学阿默斯特分校共同领导，包括10家广泛研究和6家为少数群体服务的机构，它们合作增加获得科学、技术、工程和数学学科博士学位的代表不足的学生的数量。这一IGERT鼓励教师之间在细胞工程方面进行创新的研究合作，创建新的院系之间的桥梁项目，并为受训人员提供独特的学习机会。有目的地与细胞工程研究所合作，可以与地区性细胞工程公司进行实质性的互动，极大地拓宽了学生的培训范围。IGERT是一个NSF范围内的项目，旨在应对培养具有跨学科背景、所选学科的深厚知识以及满足未来职业需求所需的技术、专业和个人技能的美国博士科学家和工程师的挑战。该项目旨在通过建立创新的研究生教育和培训新模式，在超越传统学科界限的合作研究的肥沃环境中，催化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.