Collaborative Research: Formation of a High Flux Student Research Network (HF-SRN) as a Laboratory for Enhancing Interaction in the PoLS SRN

合作研究：建立高通量学生研究网络（HF-SRN）作为增强 PoLS SRN 互动的实验室

• 批准号: 1806818
• 负责人: Aravinthan D Samuel
• 金额: $ 125万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-09-15 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1806818&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Formation; Flux; Student

The NSF Physics of Living Systems (PoLS) Student Research Network (SRN) strives to unite students and faculty working at the interface of physics and biology at different institutions ("nodes") within the US and internationally. A well functioning virtual network could give students at local nodes the ability to take advantage of global educational and research opportunities in PoLS. PoLS is a diverse field, and is composed of researchers and students from varied backgrounds. No single institution can offer (1) the breadth and depth of research and (2) courses that both cover the relevant intellectual landscape and provide in-depth training for students. Such training is critical to create the next generation of researchers who can contribute quantitatively to biophysics, with the ability to move between biology, physics, mathematics, and engineering; PoLS students have important roles to play in this next generation. In addition, no single institution has the range of equipment needed to study PoLS on the enormous range of time and length scales encountered in biological systems. Finally, few single institutions can fruitfully integrate science and engineering to inspire biomedical, robotic and prosthetic devices that will result from basic PoLS research. The HF-SRN will create an environment for students in which they can work among various disciplines while maintaining the physics mindset (simplified systems, few parameter predictive models) and developing new physics. This network will train students (paraphrasing Philip Nelson in his 2008 Biological Physics textbook) "who can switch fluidly between both kinds of brain: the `developmental/historical/complex' sciences and the 'universal/ahistorical/reductionist'." As significant collaborative and educational flux develops within the HF-SRN, successful activities will be broadened to the other US nodes (ultimately with the expectation to engage PoLS SRN international partners). The evaluation plan will help guide aspects of the HF-SRN that could increase flux in other programs in the NSF Science Across Virtual Institutes initiative. More broadly, PoLS SRN students can be leaders in the next generation of researchers who blend biology and physics research seamlessly. Such students will create materials which will seed future K-12 as well as university PoLS curricula. Efforts will be made to extend the educational and research efforts developed within the HF-SRN (and entire SRN) to a broader community including local minority serving institutions. Advances in PoLS can lead to advances in applications such as genome editing, cancer dynamics, robotics and human-assist devices, among others.During the last period of funding as part of the SRN, the Georgia Tech, Harvard and Maryland nodes have advanced their respective PoLS programs, developing cohesive local communities. The goal of this project is to further develop opportunities for students (and their ideas) to "flow" more easily within the SRN and thereby discover working principles of increased human network flux that can be transferred into the larger SRN. To do so, significant interactions (and evaluations of those interactions) will be developed among three existing SRN nodes (adding Emory as a subcontract to Georgia Tech), forming a "High Flux SRN" (HF-SRN). The HF-SRN will engage in activities such as 1) Collaborative Focused Research Projects, which span nodes and are "built to succeed" by leveraging student and faculty expertise in current projects; 2) Student-Led Dynamic Working Groups (e.g., in biomolecular, microbial, cellular and organismal physics) leveraging faculty research strengths and student interest to develop cross-node communities for these topics. 3) Student-Led Bootcamps: intense 2-3 day tutorials (e.g., microscopy, robophysics, image analysis) with cross-subgroup cutting themes, open to HF-SRN members and held at a particular node; 4) Student-Led Workshops: composed of talks, poster and discussion sessions, inviting the entire PoLS SRN; 5) Curriculum development via open-source course materials, integrating complementary expertise across nodes. All activities will be evaluated and assessed by a Council composed of the lead PIs at each node. This project is being jointly supported by the Physics of Living Systems program in the Division of Physics, the Molecular Biophysics Program in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, and the Modulation Program in the Division of Integrative Organismal Systems.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.

NSF生命系统物理学（PoLS）学生研究网络（SRN）致力于团结在美国和国际上不同机构（“节点”）的物理学和生物学接口工作的学生和教师。一个运行良好的虚拟网络可以使本地节点的学生能够利用PoLS中的全球教育和研究机会。PoLS是一个多元化的领域，由来自不同背景的研究人员和学生组成。没有一个机构可以提供（1）研究的广度和深度，以及（2）既涵盖相关知识领域又为学生提供深入培训的课程。这样的培训是至关重要的，以创造下一代的研究人员谁可以定量贡献生物物理学，与生物学，物理学，数学和工程之间的移动能力; PoLS的学生有重要的作用，在这下一代发挥。此外，没有一个机构拥有在生物系统中遇到的巨大的时间和长度尺度上研究PoLS所需的设备范围。最后，很少有单一的机构能够将科学和工程有效地结合起来，激发生物医学、机器人和假肢设备的灵感，这些设备将来自基础PoLS研究。HF-SRN将为学生创造一个环境，使他们可以在各个学科之间工作，同时保持物理思维（简化的系统，很少的参数预测模型）和开发新的物理学。这个网络将培养学生（菲利普·纳尔逊在他2008年的生物物理学教科书中的释义）“能够在两种大脑之间流畅地切换：'发展/历史/复杂'科学和'普遍/非历史/还原主义'。“随着HF-SRN内部显著的合作和教育流动的发展，成功的活动将扩大到其他美国节点（最终期望与PoLS SRN国际合作伙伴接触）。评估计划将有助于指导HF-SRN的各个方面，这些方面可能会增加NSF跨虚拟研究所科学计划中其他项目的流量。更广泛地说，PoLS SRN的学生可以成为下一代研究人员的领导者，他们将生物学和物理学研究无缝融合。这些学生将创建材料，这将种子未来的K-12以及大学PoLS课程。将努力将在HF-SRN（和整个SRN）内开展的教育和研究工作扩展到更广泛的社区，包括当地少数民族服务机构。PoLS的进步可以导致基因组编辑，癌症动力学，机器人和人类辅助设备等应用的进步。在作为SRN的一部分的最后一段时间内，格鲁吉亚理工学院，哈佛和马里兰州节点推进了各自的PoLS计划，发展了有凝聚力的当地社区。这个项目的目标是进一步开发机会，让学生（和他们的想法）在SRN内更容易“流动”，从而发现可以转移到更大的SRN中的增加人际网络流量的工作原理。为此，将在三个现有的SRN节点（将埃默里大学作为一个研究生院加入格鲁吉亚理工学院）之间建立重要的相互作用（以及对这些相互作用的评估），形成一个“高通量SRN”（HF-SRN）。HF-SRN将参与以下活动：1）协作重点研究项目，这些项目跨越节点，并通过利用学生和教师在当前项目中的专业知识来“取得成功”; 2）学生主导的动态工作组（例如，在生物分子，微生物，细胞和有机体物理学）利用教师的研究优势和学生的兴趣，为这些主题开发跨节点社区。3)学生主导的训练营：密集的2-3天的教程（例如，显微镜，机器物理学，图像分析）与跨亚组切割主题，开放给HF-SRN成员，并在一个特定的节点举行; 4）学生主导的研讨会：由讲座，海报和讨论会组成，邀请整个PoLS SRN; 5）通过开源课程材料开发课程，整合跨节点的互补专业知识。所有活动都将由一个理事会进行评价和评估，该理事会由每个节点的主要参与者组成。该项目由物理学系生命系统物理学项目、分子和细胞生物科学系分子生物物理学项目以及综合有机体系统系调节项目共同支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。