REU Site: Interdisciplinary Program in Multi-scale Biological Networks

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This REU Site award to Rice University, located in Houston, TX, will support the training of 12 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2019 - 2021. This program will expose students to the contributions made by different science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines toward the detailed understanding of living systems as integrated networks. Students will work in laboratories that draw from an array of approaches - from classical biochemistry and genetics to complex theoretical modeling. Research areas include: (i) biomolecular structure, function, and evolution, (ii) naturally-occurring genetic networks, (iii) synthetic biology and metabolic networks, and (iv) ecological networks. Participating faculty mentors come from a range of departments including Biosciences, Bioengineering, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Chemistry, and Computer Science. This program seeks to recruit students who are training across a similar spectrum of disciplines. Students will also participate in workshops focusing on ethics and responsible conduct of research, professional communication, and the graduate school application process. Application to the program requires a transcript, resume, research statement, and two letters of recommendation. Participants will be selected by a faculty committee, which will assess student alignment with the program based on demonstrated excellence in STEM coursework. It is anticipated that a total of 36 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. Students will be recruited nationwide, with an emphasis on students enrolled at proximal minority-serving institutions, including community colleges and four-year institutions. 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 https://ibb.rice.edu/nsf-reu-bionetworks, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Joff Silberg at joff@rice.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. Natasha Kirienko at kirienko@rice.edu).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.