REU Site: Research Experiences 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 2020 to 2022. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, who are primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or are from underrepresented groups, will be trained in the program. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. By engaging students in exciting, mentored research experiences, this project contributes to the development of a diverse and well-trained science workforce. Assessment of the program will be carried out through the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths.Based in the Biology Department, this program provides intensive summer research experiences in integrative and evolutionary biology within a collegial research community. Students are matched with faculty mentors and engage in carefully guided research projects, thus developing independence and confidence in scientific problem solving while learning specific research skills. The integrative and evolutionary biology focus emphasizes common themes across the biological sciences and cross-disciplinary approaches in research. The individual research projects emphasize the application of molecular, genomic, and evolutionary approaches to a variety of critical, contemporary problems in biology. Specific projects range from cellular and molecular to ecological studies. Research experiences are complemented by weekly professional development activities; highlights are workshops on the responsible conduct of science, scientific communication, preparing for graduate studies, research careers, and data management in science. Community-building activities include a three-day retreat to the Nantucket Field Station and field trips in and around Boston and Boston Harbor. The program culminates in a final Research Symposium. The program aims to select a diverse pool of students with high potential and motivation for research. Students apply through an online application, and selection is carried out by a faculty committee. More information about the program is available by visiting http://www.reu.umb.edu or by contacting the PI (Dr. Skvirsky at rachel.skvirsky@umb.edu) or the Program Coordinator (Dr. Heske at claudia.heske@umb.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.