REU Site: Research Experience in Integrative and Evolutionary Biology

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This REU Site award to the University of Massachusetts Boston, located in Boston, MA, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2017-2019. Students are paired with Biology Department faculty members based on mutual scientific interests and conduct intensive research while participating in a research community. The theme of integrative and evolutionary biology encourages cross-disciplinary research approaches -- including molecular, genetic, population-level, and informatics -- to solving problems in genetics, cell biology, evolution, ecology, and other areas. Specific topics include cell signaling, developmental genetics, control of cellular organization, molecular evolution, marine ecology, and microbial ecology. Direct research experiences are complemented by enrichment activities that bring students together to address broader issues concerning the practice of science. These include weekly workshops on preparing for graduate school, scientific communication, the ethical conduct of research, and other topics. Community-building activities include a three-day retreat to the Nantucket Island Field Station and other field trips. Students apply to the program using an online application system and are selected based on motivation, research potential, and maturity. Students from underrepresented groups and students from primarily undergraduate institutions are especially encouraged to apply. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. By providing a full-immersion research experience, close mentoring, and a supportive scientific community, the program helps prepare students for advanced study in biology and increases the diversity of the research workforce. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences.A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU Site programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about the program is available by visiting http://www.reu.umb.edu , or by contacting the PI (Dr. Rachel Skvirsky at rachel.skvirsky@umb.edu) or the Program Assistant (Claudia Heske at claudia.heske@umb.edu).