Targeted Infusion Project: Creation of a Biophysics minor program for STEM success

历史上的黑人学院和大学本科生计划（HBCU-UP）通过有针对性的输液项目支持开发，实施和基于证据的创新模式和方法的研究，以提高HBCU本科生的准备和成功，使他们可以追求科学，技术，工程或数学（STEM）研究生课程和/或职业。菲斯克大学的项目旨在通过在现有学位课程中增加生物物理学辅修课程来加强大学在STEM领域招募、留住和毕业代表性不足的学生的能力。该计划有可能为生命科学专业的学生提供一条新的途径，以发现如何将定量方法应用于物理学的生命科学应用。该项目的主要目标是为STEM本科生创建生物物理学辅修课程，以获得生物物理学的概述和应用知识。该计划的目的是提出定量建模和实验技术，以广泛的横截面生命科学专业的早期在他们的学术生涯。将推出两门新课程，“生物物理学和生理建模”和“实验物理学”课程，这两门课程都将是入门课程的延伸，但拓宽学生在更复杂系统中的知识，包括渗透，配体结合和最小二乘拟合，使用有限差分计算方法的扩散，平衡分布和熵，能量和玻尔兹曼因子，和跨膜蛋白的膜电压电位。学生的专业发展机会将通过“生物物理学研讨会”课程提供，邀请演讲者将向学生介绍生物物理学研究的当前研究课题以及就业机会。这些活动，再加上教师导师本科生的研究经验，预计将增加学生在干相关领域的广泛兴趣，更具体地说，生物物理学，从而提高学生的自我效能，自信心，并在干的职业准备。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响力审查标准进行评估的支持。

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) through Targeted Infusion Projects supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may pursue science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) graduate programs and/or careers. The project at Fisk University seeks to strengthen the university's ability to recruit, retain, and graduate underrepresented students in STEM by adding a Biophysics minor to the existing degree programs. The program has the potential to offer a new pathway for life-science students to discover how quantitative methods can be applied to life-science applications of physics. The primary goal of the project is to create a Biophysics minor program for STEM undergraduate students to gain an overview and applied knowledge of biophysics. The program is designed to present quantitative modeling and experimental techniques to a broad cross-section of life-science majors early in their academic careers. Two new courses will be launched, “Biophysics and Physiological Modeling” and “Experimental Physics” course, of both of which will be an extension of the introductory courses, yet broaden student knowledge in more complex systems including, osmosis, ligand binding and least-squares fits, diffusion using finite-difference computational methods, equilibrium distributions and entropy, energy and the Boltzmann factor, and the membrane voltage potential of transmembrane proteins. Professional development opportunities for students will be made available through the “Biophysics Seminar” course, where invited speakers will introduce students to current research topics in Biophysics research, as well as career opportunities. These activities, coupled with faculty mentor undergraduate research experiences, are anticipated to increase students’ broad interests in STEM related fields, and more specifically biophysics, resulting enhancements in student self-efficacy, self-confidence, and career readiness in STEM.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.