Biotechnology Research Training Grant

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Biotechnology Training Program at Rice University provides high quality interdisciplinary training to prepare pre-doctoral trainees for research careers in academic and industrial biotechnology. It is administered by the interdisciplinary Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering (IBB), with faculty mentors from biochemistry & cell biology, bioengineering, chemistry, and chemical & biomolecular engineering. The presence of this training program in IBB has been catalytic for interactions among faculty and students and has provided key support for education and research training activities. It has been central to development of a new Department of Bioengineering, with a top-10 ranked graduate program. The requested number of pre-doctoral trainees for the program is 12. The trainees are selected after their first year of graduate studies for a two-year appointment based on academic performance, assessment of their potential as researchers, and their interests in biotechnology. Emphasis is given to recruiting and retaining students from under-represented ethnic groups through outreach activities, targeted recruiting, and mentoring programs. Trainees in this program take a core of interdisciplinary coursework in biotechnology, including 'Foundations of Biotechnology', a course sequence developed specifically for this program. Students also take a course in Responsible Conduct of Research. Trainees participate in a leadership workshop and an industrial internship as well. Special seminars are attended by trainees, including some seminars focused on research in the industrial setting meant to help prepare them for success on their internships. An annual research retreat provides the trainees with the opportunity to interact with each other, faculty, and with executives from local biotechnology companies. The physical facilities that support this program are outstanding, all either recently constructed or renovated, and in 2008 the program will move to a new building, a collaborative center for biotechnology, jointly occupied by Rice, Baylor College of Medicine, and M.D. Anderson.