Collaborative Research: REU Site: Molecular Interactions Virtual REU

化学系(CHE)的这一奖项支持一个由明尼苏达大学霍梅尔研究所、科特兰纽约州立大学学院和纽约伊萨卡学院的教职员工团队领导的虚拟本科生研究体验(REU)网站。这个REU网站支持在2022-2024年夏季对10名学生进行为期10周的培训。这个项目的目标是为不同的学生群体提供积极的、真实的研究体验，在他们的学术生涯早期。这是一个完全在线的REU项目，学生参与引导的独立研究，作为同行在线社区的一部分，分析和预测生物分子结构和功能之间的关系。这种虚拟格式的固有灵活性使该课程广泛适用于各种不同的学生，包括那些本来无法访问现场REU课程的学生。该项目的参与者将在教师和同行导师团队的指导下，在支持性和灵活性的学习环境中学习分子相互作用并探索结构-功能关系。为了培养社区和加强沟通技能，参与者将参加每周的非正式社交活动、专业发展活动和多个有指导的研究会议。暑期体验在一个在线的顶峰研究研讨会上达到高潮，在研讨会上，学生们向他们的同龄人和研究导师展示他们创作的研究海报。由学生进行的独立研究将导致对酶功能、初级和次级代谢的理解的进步，并将提供培训和对酶工程的结构基础的洞察。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award from the Division of Chemistry (CHE) supports a virtual Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site led by a team of faculty from the Hormel Institute at the University of Minnesota, the State University of New York College at Cortland, and Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. This REU site supports the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2022-2024. The objective of this program is to provide a positive, authentic research experience to a diverse group of students, early in their academic careers. This is a fully online, REU program, where students take part in guided independent research, as part of an online community of peers, to analyze and predict the relationship between structure and function in biomolecules. The inherent flexibility of this virtual format makes this program broadly accessible to a wide variety of students, including those who would not otherwise be able to access on-site REU programs. Participants in this program will learn about molecular interactions and explore structure-function relationships in a learning environment that is supportive and flexible, guided by a team of faculty and peer mentors. To foster community and to strengthen communication skills, participants will participate in weekly, informal social events, professional development activities, and multiple, guided research meetings. The summer experience culminates in an online, capstone research symposium where students present a research poster they have created to their peers and research mentors. The independent research conducted by the students will result in advances in understanding of enzyme function, primary and secondary metabolism, and will provide training and insight into the the structural basis for enzyme engineering.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.