RAPID: REU Site: A Virtual Research Experience in Macromolecular Structure and Function

COVID大流行已导致REU站点在2020年夏季关闭。这种情况将在2021年夏天继续，一些REU项目已经宣布取消。这一快速提议将缓解学生可获得的机会数量不足的问题。位于伊利诺伊州芝加哥的伊利诺伊大学芝加哥分校(UIC)将在2021年夏季为7名学生提供为期8周的培训。研究将在网上与芝加哥、伊利诺伊州埃文斯顿和德克萨斯州达拉斯的教职员工一起进行。这些学生来自科学界代表性不足的群体或研究机会有限的学校，他们将学习研究是如何进行的，许多人将在科学会议上展示他们的工作成果。该计划提供重要的培训、指导和专业技能发展，以支持和鼓励有才华的学生继续攻读科学学位和职业生涯，这对美国科学和经济的未来至关重要。学生将参与全日制指导的研究项目，使用最先进的基于计算机的方法来促进我们对DNA、蛋白质和其他大分子的结构和功能的理解。将通过SALG Urssa在线工具对该方案进行评估。项目结束后，将对学生进行跟踪，以确定他们的职业道路。该计划的科学主题是大分子结构和功能。教师导师来自UIC生物、物理和生物工程系、芝加哥大学生物科学学院分部、德克萨斯大学西南医学中心绿色系统生物学中心和西北大学分子生物科学系。这些基于计算机的项目包括阐明蛋白质的功能位点、聚集过程中的构象变化、细胞靶向信号以及营养吸收的机制。计划的组成部分包括伦理问题的专业技能培训、负责任的研究开展、多样性和包容性、科学职业以及口头和书面科学交流。与会者将在一个研究研讨会上展示他们的成果。欲了解更多信息，请访问/bios.uic.edu/proages/jeffery-constance-j/，或联系PI(Jeffery教授，cjeffery@uic.edu)。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已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。

The COVID pandemic has caused closures of REU Sites in summer 2020. The situation continues this summer 2021 with some REU programs already posting cancellations. This RAPID proposal will mitigate the inadequate number of available opportunities for students. The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), located in Chicago, Illinois, will support the training of seven students for eight weeks during the summer of 2021. Research will be conducted online with faculty located in Chicago, Evanston (IL), and Dallas (TX). The students, who are from groups under-represented in science or from schools with limited research opportunities, will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. This program provides vital training, mentoring, and professional skills development to enable and encourage talented students to continue in degrees and careers in science, which is vital for the future of US science and the economy. Students will participate in full-time mentored research projects using state-of-the-art computer-based methods to advance our understanding of the structure and function of DNA, proteins and other macromolecules. Assessment of the program will be done through the online SALG URSSA tool. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths. The scientific theme of the program is Macromolecular Structure and Function. Faculty mentors come from UIC Departments of Biology, Physics, and Bioengineering, the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Collegiate Division, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Green Center for Systems Biology, and the Northwestern University Molecular Biosciences Department. The computer-based projects include elucidating protein functional sites, conformational changes involved in aggregation, cellular targeting signals, and mechanisms of nutrient uptake. Program components include professional skills training in ethical issues, responsible conduct of research, diversity and inclusion, science careers, and oral and written scientific communication. Participants will present their accomplishments at a Research Symposium. More information is available by visiting /bios.uic.edu/profiles/jeffery-constance-j/, or by contacting the PI (Prof. Jeffery, cjeffery@uic.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.