Research Initiation Award: Comparison of the Transcriptional Regulation of Genes Expressed in Drosophila Midline Glia and Trachea

研究启动奖(RIA)为开始建立研究计划的历史黑人学院和大学(HBCU)的初级教师提供支持，以及为需要重新指导和重新建立研究计划的职业生涯中期教师提供支持。预计该奖项有助于进一步提高教职员工的研究能力和有效性，改善研究人员所在机构的研究和教学，并让本科生参与研究经验。奥古斯丁大学的RIA为本科生设立了一个研究计划，旨在吸引、支持和留住主要未被充分代表的少数族裔学生，这些学生主修科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)学科，他们有兴趣攻读STEM学科的博士学位，并随后在STEM研究中发展。该计划的目标是：1)让学生在暑期实习之外接触尖端的板凳研究；2)让学生为严酷的研究生学习做好更好的准备；3)增加代表不足的少数族裔的数量，他们选择并充分准备在STEM领域攻读更高的学位和职业。虽然不限于此，但该项目的目标是该机构主要主修生物学的学生。实验/研究旨在检测果蝇中线和气管基因在几个水平上的表达，并了解特定的基因调控相互作用如何结合在一起，在中枢神经系统中线产生不同的细胞。更具体地说，这些实验提供了对神经元和胶质细胞在发育过程中如何生成的洞察，包括了解神经元-胶质细胞相互作用的基本过程，以及对基因表达和中枢神经系统发育的控制。这些实验将提供一个在本科生水平上了解这些基本过程的平台。从这些活动中获得的知识可以很容易地融入到本科课程中，如分子细胞生物学和遗传学，以及气管。该项目促进了本科生对STEM高需求专业的兴趣，特别是生物科学。它支持一项更大的STEM倡议，该倡议旨在增加和加强HBCU与主流大学、州立和区域研究实验室、美国农业部和其他STEM研究相关企业之间的伙伴关系、网络和合作，努力增加进入和保留在STEM管道中的代表性不足群体的数量。通过这个项目，学生们有机会成功完成他们的学士学位，从事尖端的板凳研究，并在更广泛的科学相关领域攻读研究生课程或进入职业生涯，以满足当地、地区、国家和全球的劳动力需求。此外，该项目还为其他寻求促进STEM本科生研究计划的少数族裔服务机构创建和调整成功的活动提供了一个模式。

Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support for junior faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) who are starting to build a research program, as well as for mid-career faculty who need to re-direct and re-build a research program. It is expected that the award helps to further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, improves research and teaching at the researcher's home institution, and involves undergraduate students in research experiences.St. Augustine's University's RIA establishes a research program for undergraduates that aims to attract, support and retain primarily underrepresented minority students majoring in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discipline who are interested in a pursuing a Ph.D. in a STEM discipline and a subsequent career in STEM research. The program goals are to: 1) expose students to cutting-edge bench research beyond summer internships 2) better prepare students for the rigors of graduate studies and 3) increase the number of underrepresented minorities, who elect and are well-prepared to pursue advanced degrees and careers in the STEM fields. Although not limited to, the project targets students at the institution who are majoring primarily in biology.The experiments/research are designed to examine Drosophila midline and trachea gene expression at several levels and to understand how specific gene regulatory interactions combine to generate different cells in the CNS midline. More specifically, the experiments provide insight into how neurons and glia are generated during development, including understanding the basic processes of neuron-glia interactions, and control of gene expression and CNS development. These experiments will provide a platform to learn about these basic processes at the undergraduate level. Knowledge gained from these activities can readily be incorporated into undergraduate courses such as molecular cell biology and genetics, and trachea. The project promotes undergraduate student interest in high demand specializations in STEM, particularly in the biological sciences. It supports a larger STEM initiative that seeks to increase and strengthen partnerships, networks and collaborations between HBCU and mainstream universities, state and regional research laboratories, USDA and other STEM research-related enterprises in efforts to increase the numbers of underrepresented groups that enter and remain in the STEM pipeline. Through this project, students have the opportunity to successfully complete their baccalaureate degrees, engage in cutting-edge bench research and to pursue graduate programs or enter careers in a broader range of science-related fields that will meet the local, regional, national and global workforce needs. Additionally, this project serves as a model for creating and adapting successful activities for other minority-serving institutions seeking to promote undergraduate research programs in STEM.