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项目（HBCU- up）通过有针对性的输液项目支持基于证据的创新模式和方法的开发、实施和研究，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。菲斯克大学的这个项目旨在通过在现有的学位课程中增加生物物理学辅修课程，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，让他们发现定量方法如何应用于物理学的生命科学应用。该项目的主要目标是为STEM本科生创建一个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。该计划旨在为生命科学专业早期的学生提供定量建模和实验技术。我们将开设两门新课程，“生物物理与生理建模”和“实验物理”课程，这两门课程将是导论课程的延伸，但将拓宽学生对更复杂系统的知识，包括渗透、配体结合和最小二乘拟合、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，以及跨膜蛋白质的膜电压电位。“生物物理学研讨会”课程将为学生提供专业发展机会，届时特邀讲者将向学生介绍生物物理学研究的最新研究课题，以及职业发展机会。这些活动，加上教师导师本科生的研究经验，预计将增加学生对STEM相关领域的广泛兴趣，更具体地说，是生物物理学，从而提高学生在STEM领域的自我效能感、自信心和职业准备。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识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 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.