REU Site: Undergraduate Research in Molecular Biosciences

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A Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Sites award has been made to the University of Kansas that will provide research training for 10 students, for 10 weeks during the summers of 2012- 2014. This award is supported by both the NSF Directorate for Biosciences and the Department of Defense ASSURE program (thru a Memorandum of Understanding with NSF). The program will provide students with exciting research projects and experiences that build self-confidence and encourage critical and independent thinking. An important underlying theme of the program is unity through diversity. This theme is captured in the science, which ranges from studies on the behavior of individual molecules to that of whole organisms, and in the ethnic and cultural makeup of the students. Several faculty mentors from the Department of Molecular Biosciences, with strong records of undergraduate mentoring and collegiality, will participate in the program. In addition to conducting research, the students will attend enrichment seminars and workshops including faculty and peer presentations on how to become a research scientist; workshops on applying to graduate school; and workshops on the development of effective communication skills. The program will include several opportunities for the students to present their work and will conclude with a campus-wide mini symposium and a written final report. The program is especially interested in training students who do not have the opportunity to conduct research at their home institutions and/or are from underrepresented and minority groups. Several mechanisms of summative and formative evaluation will be employed including the assessment tool common to REU programs. Program alumni will receive updates about each other through Facebook and have continued access to the REU program director and faculty mentors. These follow-up activities are devised to provide career-long advising to the students and to facilitate effective long-term tracking. More information is available by visiting http://molecularbiosciences.ku.edu/reumb/, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Robert Cohen at rcohen@ku.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Victoria Corbin at corbin@ku.edu).