Integrated, Interdisciplinary, Inter-university PHD Program Computational Biology

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案寻求对计算生物学跨学科研究生培训计划的支持，该计划是在HHMI- nibib接口计划的第一阶段由HHMI资助建立的。这种支持的主要目标是仔细开发和评估项目的新课程和程序。这个目标已经完全实现，该项目已经发展到包括40多名学生。这是卡内基梅隆大学（CMU）和匹兹堡大学（皮特）之间的一个真正的联合项目，学生只有一个招生点，两所大学在所有委员会和行政部门都有平等的代表。它汇集了两所大学在计算机科学和生物医学研究方面的世界级优势，并带来了新的合作研究努力和共同监督学生。CMU-Pitt计算生物学博士课程（CPCB）的指导原则是，所有学生都要接受计算科学和自然科学的深入培训，并且，对于计算生物学不断发展的领域的未来教育工作者和研究人员来说，他们要完全精通其原理和范式。该项目在招收优秀的美国学生方面取得了巨大成功，目前参加该项目的学员已经开始在该领域做出贡献。来自两所大学不同院系的40多名优秀培训教师为资金雄厚的研究小组提供了许多前沿论文项目的机会。该项目得到了两所大学管理部门的无条件支持，并建立在皮特计算生物系和CMU Lane计算生物学中心建立的重要基础设施和师资投资的基础上。已经制定了一项专业管理和全面的计划，对该方案的所有方面进行持续的评估，第一阶段的评估工作已导致确定和解决该阶段遇到的问题。要求支助10个培训名额。虽然所申请的资金将只支持在特定时间注册的合格学生的一小部分培训补助金，但它将使致力于跨学科生物学研究的优秀学生获得独特的培训，使他们成为该领域的领导者。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal seeks support for an interdisciplinary graduate training program in Computational Biology that has been built under a grant from HHMI in Phase I of the HHMI-NIBIB Interfaces Initiative. The primary goal of that support has been the careful development and evaluation of new curriculum and procedures for the program. This goal has been thoroughly met, and the program has grown to include over 40 students. It is a truly joint program between Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), with a single point of admissions for students and equal representation of the two universities in all committees and administration. It has brought together the world-class strengths of the two universities in computer science and biomedical research, and has led to new collaborative research efforts and jointly supervised students. A guiding principle of the CMU-Pitt PhD Program in Computational Biology (CPCB) is that all students receive deep training in both computational and natural sciences, and, as appropriate for future educators and researchers in the growing field of computational biology, that they be fully versed in its principles and paradigms. The program has been highly successful at recruiting outstanding U.S. students, and current trainees in the program have already begun to make contributions to the field. An outstanding group of over 40 training faculty from diverse departments and schools at the two universities provide numerous opportunities for cutting-edge thesis projects in well-funded research groups. The program has the unqualified support of the administrations of both universities, and builds on the significant infrastructure and faculty investments that have been made in the establishment of the Department of Computational Biology at Pitt and the Lane Center for Computational Biology at CMU. A professionally-managed and thorough plan for evaluation of all aspects of the program on an ongoing basis has been created, and the evaluation efforts during Phase I have led to the identification and solution of problems encountered during that period. Support is requested for ten training slots. While the requested funds will support only a modest fraction of the training grant eligible students enrolled at a given time, it will enable outstanding students who are dedicated to interdisciplinary biological research to receive unique training that will place them among the leaders of this field. RELEVANCE: The funds will contribute to public health by meeting a pressing need throughout the biomedical research field for researchers capable of doing innovative work at the interface of computational and biological sciences. In addition to training the specific supported students, the program will aid in the development of novel teaching materials and practices of benefit to other training programs in computational biology.