REU Site in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Sanford Research

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This REU Site award to Sanford Research, located in Sioux Falls, SD, will support the training of ten students for ten weeks during the summers of 2019 - 2021. The objectives are to provide exceptional research experiences in Cellular and Molecular Biology to undergraduate students, support the pursuit of graduate degrees and research careers, and increase diversity in the scientific community. Students will perform cutting-edge research on projects in diverse areas, including signal transduction, intracellular trafficking, organelle function, cell proliferation and differentiation, and development. The program is comprised of research experience, career and professional development workshops, ethics training, a GRE preparation workshop, presentation opportunities, and outreach activities. At the end of the program, students will present their research in a poster format at an end-of-program symposium. Recruitment will focus on students interested in pursuing research careers with an emphasis on underrepresented minority students and students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Students may apply online at the program website. A selection committee will interview the top candidates by videoconference and make acceptance decisions.It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. Emphasis is placed on underrepresented minority students and students more broadly underrepresented in science, such as first-generation college students, students from low-income households, students with disabilities, and veterans. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Students will also engage with the community through outreach activities, which increases public scientific literacy and inspires younger people to consider science careers.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. This will be supplemented by surveys administered by an external evaluator and consultation with an advisory board. 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.sanfordresearch.org/education/undergraduates/spur/ or by contacting the PI (Dr. Pearce at David.Pearce@sanfordhealth.org) or the co-PI (Dr. Lee at Lance.Lee@sanfordhealth.org).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.