RCN-UBE: Network for Integrating Bioinformatics into Life Sciences Education (NIBLSE)

内布拉斯加大学奥马哈分校因其名为“将生物信息学整合到生命科学教育中的网络”的项目获得了研究协调网络-本科生物学教育奖。该项目的长期目标是使生物信息学成为全国本科生命科学课程的重要组成部分。生物信息学领域使用计算机科学的技术来存储、管理和分析大型生物数据集，它的出现是为了应对与这些大型数据集相关的挑战。它现在是一个重要的跨学科领域，是研究生物学许多方面的核心，但它并不是全国大多数生物学课程的组成部分。目前的项目是由PI团队为他们的RCN-UBE孵化器项目（DBI-134559）成功召开的会议结果通知的。为了实现生物信息学与本科生命科学教育的全面整合，NIBLSE正在建立一个致力于这一目标的永久性研究人员网络。领导团队和指导委员会正在利用文献和他们的集体专业知识来确定、审查和完善一套生物信息学核心能力，以便将其纳入生命科学课程。他们还确定和审查与核心能力相一致的评估工具，这些工具将促进与将生物信息学纳入生物学课程有关的教育研究。最后，他们正在开发系统来组织和简化课程材料、评估工具和专业发展资源的传播。通过网络开发的材料和资源，使全国教育工作者能够有效地将生物信息学知识和技能应用于他们的教学和研究，对生命科学本科教育产生了广泛的影响。该项目由生物基础设施司生物科学司和教育和人力资源司本科教育司联合资助，以支持应对《本科教育的愿景与变革：行动呼吁》http://visionandchange.org/finalreport/所提出的挑战。

The University of Nebraska at Omaha has received a Research Coordination Network - Undergraduate Biology Education award for their project entitled Network for Integrating Bioinformatics into Life Sciences Education (NIBLSE). The long-term goal of this project is to establish bioinformatics as an essential component of undergraduate life sciences curricula nationwide. The field of bioinformatics, which uses techniques from computer science to store, manage, and analyze large biological data sets, has arisen to meet the challenges associated with such large data sets. It is now an important interdisciplinary field that is central to studying many aspects of biology, yet it is not an integral part of most biology curricula nationwide. The current project is informed by the results of the successful conference held by the PI team for their RCN-UBE Incubator project (DBI-134559).In order to achieve full integration of bioinformatics into undergraduate life sciences education, NIBLSE is establishing a permanent network of investigators committed to this goal. The Leadership Team and Steering Committee are using the literature and their collective expertise to identify, vet, and refine a set of bioinformatics core competencies for inclusion in life sciences curricula. They are also identifying and vetting assessment tools that align with the core competencies and that will facilitate educational research related to the integration of bioinformatics into biology curricula. Finally, they are developing systems to organize and simplify dissemination of curricular materials, assessment tools, and professional development resources. The materials and resources developed by the network are having a broad impact on undergraduate education in the life sciences by enabling educators nationwide to effectively apply bioinformatics knowledge and skills to their teaching and research. This project is funded jointly by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education in support of efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Education: A Call to Action http://visionandchange.org/finalreport/.