TUES: Integration of Research and Undergraduate Education: Local Genome Diversity Studies in Puerto Rico

“TUES：研究与本科教育的整合：波多黎各当地基因组多样性研究”项目将教师开始的研究项目纳入生物学专业的课程。由于几次移民和殖民浪潮，现在岛上的人口显示出来自非洲、欧洲和美洲原住民的遗传标记。通过系统地调查当地人口的特征变异频率，并将其映射到地理上，有可能找到支持历史记录的遗传证据。这种对现代遗传概念、技术和分析的应用，使学生对一个相当抽象的研究具体化。所收集的信息将来可能用于确定疾病的风险因素，这是除了对学生的教育之外，这项研究的直接积极成果。通过精心的指导和指导，学生们从课堂走向实地，然后进入实验室完成这个项目。他们也逐渐承担起对整个项目的贡献所增加的个人责任。这个项目的影响也超出了研究目标的实现和学生的教育。波多黎各大学马亚圭斯分校（University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez）的学生中有97%是西班牙裔，这一群体在科学领域的代表性不足。他们留在科学专业应该会增加科学素养人口的多样性。此外，该项目的设计可以适应历史上发生过基因混合的其他地区。学生们准备通过与当地高中接触来传播科学成果，并讲述他们的研究故事，从而吸引更多的学生继续上大学，并可能学习科学。

The project "TUES: Integration of Research and Undergraduate Education: Local Genome Diversity Studies in Puerto Rico" incorporates a research project begun by faculty into the curriculum of the Biology major. Because of several waves of immigration and colonization, the present day population of the island shows genetic markers derived from African, European, and Native American sources. By systematically surveying the population in local regions for frequency of characteristic variants and mapping those onto the geography, it may be possible to find genetic evidence that supports the historical record. This application of modern genetic concepts, techniques and analysis makes a rather abstract study concrete to the students involved. The information developed might be used in the future to identify risk factors for diseases, a direct positive outcome of the research in addition to the education of the students. Through careful instruction and mentoring, students go from the classroom into the field and then into the laboratory to accomplish this project. They also progressively assume increased individual responsibility for their contributions to the overall project. This project also has impacts beyond the accomplishment of the research objective and education of the students. The student body at University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez is 97% Hispanic, a population underrepresented in the sciences. Their retention in science majors should increase the diversity of the scientifically literate population. Moreover, the project's design is amenable to adaptation in other areas where genetic mixing has occurred over historical time. Students are prepared to communicate scientific results by reaching out to local high schools with the story of their research, thereby attracting more students to continue on to college and possibly study science.