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

研究启动奖（RIAs）为历史上黑人学院和大学（HBCU）的初级教师提供支持，他们开始建立研究计划，以及需要重新指导和重新建立研究计划的中期教师。 预计该奖项将有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，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。圣奥古斯丁大学的RIA为本科生建立了一个研究计划，旨在吸引，支持和留住主要代表性不足的少数民族学生，主修科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）学科谁有兴趣追求博士学位。在STEM学科和随后的职业生涯在STEM研究。该方案的目标是：1）让学生接触到暑期实习以外的前沿板凳研究2）更好地为学生准备研究生学习的严格性和3）增加代表性不足的少数民族的数量，他们选择并准备好在STEM领域追求高级学位和职业生涯。虽然不限于，该项目的目标是在该机构谁是主要主修生物学的学生。实验/研究的目的是检查果蝇中线和气管基因表达在几个层次上，并了解如何特定的基因调控相互作用联合收割机结合，以产生不同的细胞在中枢神经系统中线。 更具体地说，这些实验提供了对神经元和神经胶质在发育过程中如何产生的深入了解，包括了解神经元-神经胶质相互作用的基本过程，以及基因表达和CNS发育的控制。这些实验将提供一个平台，以了解这些基本过程在本科阶段。从这些活动中获得的知识可以很容易地纳入本科课程，如分子细胞生物学和遗传学，气管。该项目促进了本科生对STEM高需求专业的兴趣，特别是在生物科学方面。它支持一个更大的STEM倡议，旨在增加和加强HBCU与主流大学，州和区域研究实验室，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，以增加进入并留在STEM管道中的代表性不足的群体的数量。通过这个项目，学生有机会成功完成他们的学士学位，从事前沿的板凳研究，并追求研究生课程或进入更广泛的科学相关领域的职业生涯，以满足当地，区域，国家和全球劳动力的需求。此外，该项目还为其他寻求促进STEM本科研究项目的少数民族服务机构创建和调整成功活动的模式。

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.