REU Site: Research Experiences for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Molecular Signaling - How Cells and Organisms Make Decisions

这个REU网站奖给田纳西大学，位于诺克斯维尔，田纳西州，将支持10名学生在2024年至2026年的夏天10周的培训。该计划的目标是为聋人和听力困难（D/HH）的学生提供研究经验，提高聋人文化的认识，并为科学界提供聋人教育实践的培训。我们也鼓励了解美国手语（ASL）或有兴趣了解更多聋人文化的听力学生申请。预计共有30名学生将在该方案中接受培训。学生将获得必要的技能和知识，使明智的职业选择，在研究生研究项目中具有竞争力，并在其他STEM职业中取得成功。他们将接受培训，以开发和测试假设，收集和分析数据，解决问题和故障排除，审查原始文献，并将他们的研究结果传达给科学观众。该计划的评估将通过在线工具进行。学生应使用NSF ETAP（教育和培训应用程序：https://etap.nsf.gov）向REU网站申请。该网站将为对遗传学、细胞和分子生物学感兴趣的学生提供研究机会。来自生物化学细胞和分子生物学系的导师团队将指导学生通过探索各种生物体中信号转导机制的项目。该专业的学生将学习生物体与其环境之间的相互作用，细胞间的通信以及信号转导机制。项目将使用各种生物体，包括细菌，酵母，植物，小鼠和人类细胞。除了学习基本的分子，生物化学和细胞生物学方法，如克隆，遗传分析和微生物培养，学生将有机会使用最先进的技术，包括单分子和活细胞荧光显微镜，颅内注射病毒载体，基因组数据集的计算分析和流式细胞术。一个特别的研讨会将讨论独特的挑战和机会，在干的职业生涯为D/hh个人。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

This REU Site award to the University of Tennessee, located in Knoxville, TN, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2024- 2026. The goals of the program are to provide research experiences for Deaf and hard of hearing (D/hh) students, to improve awareness of Deaf culture, and to provide training in deaf education practices to the scientific community. Hearing students who know American Sign Language (ASL) or are interested in learning more about the Deaf culture are encouraged to apply too. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students will be trained in the program. Students will acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to make informed career choices, be competitive in graduate research programs, and succeed in other STEM careers. They will be trained to develop and test hypotheses, gather and analyze the data, problem-solve and troubleshoot, review original literature, and convey their research findings to a scientific audience. Assessment of this program will be done through an online tool. Students should apply to the REU site using NSF ETAP (Education and Training Application: https://etap.nsf.gov). This site will provide research opportunities to students interested in genetics and cellular and molecular biology. A team of mentors from the Biochemistry & Cell and Molecular Biology department will guide students through projects that explore signal transduction mechanisms in a variety of organisms. Students in this program will study interactions between organisms and their environment, cell-to-cell communications, and mechanisms of signal transduction. Projects will be available using a variety of organisms, including bacteria, yeast, plants, mice, and human cells. In addition to learning basic molecular, biochemical, and cell biology methods such as cloning, genetic analysis, and microbial cultivation, students will have an opportunity to use state-of-the-art techniques, including single-molecule and live-cell fluorescence microscopy, intra-cranial injection of viral vectors, computational analysis of genomic datasets, and flow cytometry. A special workshop will discuss unique challenges and opportunities in STEM careers for D/hh individuals.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.