REU Site: The Stressed Life of Cells

该REU站点奖授予位于堪萨斯州劳伦斯市的堪萨斯大学，将在2022-2024年夏季支持10名学生的培训，为期10周。学生将与他们的导师制定他们的研究计划，花大部分时间在一个研究项目上，并将在夏末的全校研究研讨会上展示他们的研究成果。其根本目的是为学生提供从事研究事业的坚实基础和激励，其具体目标是增加科学的多样性和参与度。预计总共将有30名学生，主要来自研究机会有限的学校，或来自代表性不足的群体，将在该项目中接受培训。由导师指导的科学活动将在分子生物科学系的生物化学、细胞、分子和发育生物学、病毒学和微生物学以及计算生物学等领域的教师实验室进行。在“压力”这一共同研究主题的背景下，学生将学习环境和生物条件如何影响细胞和生物体的发育、功能和生存，以及压力反应机制的本质。学生项目的例子可能涉及使用遗传易感生物（果蝇，秀丽隐杆线虫）来模拟压力反应的进化或神经系统对压力的反应，在宿主/病原体相互作用和机制的研究中使用修饰的感染因子（细菌，冠状病毒），以及微生物感染相关策略的生化分析（T3SS，群体感应）。每周的节目和社会活动将促进学生的职业发展，培养作为科学家的独立性，磨练演讲技巧，并促进社区发展。学生将参加有关负责任的研究行为、科学写作和申请研究生院的互动讲习班。该计划的评估将使用SALG URSSA工具进行。项目成员和教师将在参与者计划会议演讲和准备研究生院期间与他们保持持续的沟通，从而评估他们的职业轨迹。参与者必须完成大一生物和化学课程，并且必须是美国公民或永久居民。有关该项目的更多信息，请访问mbreu.ku.edu，或联系PI Lisa Timmons博士，网址为mb-reu@ku.edu.This。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This REU Site award to the University of Kansas, located in Lawrence, KS, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2022-2024. Students will formulate their research plans with their mentors, spend the majority of their time on a research project, and will present their findings in a university-wide Research Symposium at the end of summer. The underlying aim is to provide students with a strong basis and incentive for pursuing careers in research, with a specific goal of increasing diversity and participation in the sciences. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, or from underrepresented groups, will be trained in the program. Mentor-directed scientific activities will be performed in the Department of Molecular Biosciences in faculty labs in the fields of biochemistry, cell, molecular and developmental biology, virology and microbiology, and computational biology. In the context of the common research theme of “Stress,” students will learn how environmental and biological conditions may affect development, function, and survival of cells and organisms, as well as the nature of stress response mechanisms. Examples of student projects may involve use of genetically tractable organisms (Drosophila, C. elegans) to model evolution of stress responses or neurological responses to stress, use of modified infectious agents (bacteria, coronavirus) in studies of host/pathogen interactions and mechanisms, and biochemical analysis of infection-associated strategies in microorganisms (T3SS, quorum sensing). Weekly programs and social activities will develop student career progression, foster independence as a scientist, hone presentation skills, and foster community. Students will attend interactive workshops on responsible conduct of research, scientific writing, and applying to graduate school. Assessments of the program will be performed using the SALG URSSA tool. Program members and faculty will maintain continued communications with participants as they plan for conference presentations and prepare for graduate school, allowing their career trajectories to be assessed. Participants should have completed freshman biology and chemistry, and must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. More information about the program is available at mbreu.ku.edu, or by contacting the PI, Dr. Lisa Timmons, at mb-reu@ku.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.