Summer Mentoring And Research Training: Methods In Neuroscience of Drug-abuse (SMART-MIND)

摘要 这是Smart-Mind计划(暑期指导和研究培训： 药物滥用神经科学方法)，将在德克萨斯大学埃尔帕索分校(UTEP)进行。 在最初的资助期间，我们为46名本科生提供了密集的暑期培训体验 以及10个来自不同背景的高中师生团队。我们的首要目标是提供一个 简化有效的培训体验，增加神经科学方面的知识和研究技能 和吸毒。下一阶段，我们的目标是继续丰富科学教育和研究 每年夏天对本科生和高中师生团队进行培训，继续侧重于 神经科学和毒瘾。该计划将结合最先进的教育、创新研究 设施、生物伦理培训、一对一和团体辅导以及专业发展。参与者 将沉浸在一个由12名神经科学家组成的多学科小组指导的研究项目中 建立并资助了它们之间的跨学科合作。这些项目的中心是 导致成瘾的行为和生物因素以及导致成瘾的生化途径 神经退行性变、行为可塑性、学习和记忆。每组由8名本科生组成 和两个高中师生队。高中教师将指导小说的发展 课程、科学教育说教研讨会和各种促进实施的外联活动 在他们的家乡高中的学习目标。其中四名本科生将是当地的UTEP或 神经科学相关领域的社区学院学生和其他4名本科生将被 从埃尔帕索以外招聘，重点是为少数族裔服务的机构。这将扩大 埃尔帕索地区以外的计划，同时继续专注于促进 在生物医学研究中，少数族裔的代表性不足。具体地说，该方案旨在： 1)吸引和支持越来越多来自埃尔帕索社区UTEP的本科生 大学(EPCC)和其他少数族裔服务机构攻读神经科学和 相关字段 2)增加埃尔帕索地区高中教师的数量，使其具备以下方面的研究技能和知识 神经科学和 3)增加未被充分代表的少数民族高中生在#年攻读学位和从事职业的人数 科学。

ABSTRACT This is a renewal application of the SMART-MIND Program (Summer Mentoring and Research Training: Methods In Neuroscience of Drug-abuse), to be conducted at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). During the original funding period, we provided an intensive summer training experience for 46 undergraduates and 10 high school teacher-student teams from diverse backgrounds. Our overarching goal is to provide a streamlined and effective training experience that increases knowledge and research skills in neuroscience and drug abuse. In the next period, our goal is to continue to enrich the science education and research training of undergraduates and high school teacher-student teams each summer with a continued focus on neuroscience and drug addiction. The program will combine education, innovative research in state-of-the-art facilities, training in bioethics, one-on-one and group mentoring, and professional development. Participants will be immersed in research projects directed by a multi-disciplinary group of 12 neuroscientists with established and funded interdisciplinary collaborations among themselves. The projects center around behavioral and biological factors that contribute to addiction and the biochemical pathways leading to neurodegeneration, behavioral plasticity, learning and memory. Each cohort will consist of 8 undergraduates and 2 high school student-teacher teams. High school teachers will be guided in the development of novel curricula, didactic seminars in science education, and various outreach activities that will foster implementation of the learning objectives in their home high schools. Four of the undergraduates will be local UTEP or community college students majoring in neuroscience-related fields and the other 4 undergraduates will be recruited from outside El Paso with a focus on minority-serving institutions. This will increase the reach of the program outside of the El Paso region while continuing our focus on promoting involvement of underrepresented minorities in biomedical research. Specifically, this program aims at: 1) Enticing and enabling an increasing number of undergraduate students from UTEP, El Paso Community College (EPCC) and other minority serving institutions to pursue advanced degrees in neuroscience and related fields 2) Increase the number of high school teachers in the El Paso region with research skills in and knowledge of neuroscience and 3) Increase the number of underrepresented minority high school students pursuing degrees and careers in science.