Houston Area Molecular Biophysics Program

描述（由申请人提供）：休斯顿地区分子生物物理学项目指导和指导博士的分子生物物理学研究培训。自1989年以来，休斯顿-加尔维斯顿地区的学生。一个为期五年的更新与两个额外的插槽（共11个），旨在允许继续卓越和创新，培养优秀的学生在这一日益重要的领域的前沿工作。在项目主任和指导委员会的指导下，墨西哥湾沿岸联盟的五所研究生院各有两名代表（贝勒医学院，赖斯大学，德克萨斯大学健康科学中心，休斯顿，德克萨斯大学医学分支，和休斯顿大学）该计划提供共同的教学和研讨会课程，两次当地年度研究会议，每月实习生会议，参加国家会议，每年介绍和审查受训人员的研究进展。所有学生都必须参加培训，以负责任的方式进行研究。导师包括六个机构的46名教师，在16个不同的部门工作，并参与三个跨部门的研究生课程。学员是在高度竞争的过程中从学生中挑选出来的，他们的项目在导师的实验室提供分子生物物理学方面的培训。当学员选择 该方案是以成绩为基础的，致力于加强多样性，在招募和留住代表性不足的群体成员方面非常成功。研究优势包括X射线晶体学，大分子NMR，分子电子显微镜，广泛的光谱和显微技术，单分子方法，计算生物物理学，膜生物物理学，蛋白质折叠，核酸结构和超微结构，热力学，动力学和机械酶学。完成该计划的学生平均发表4.5篇论文，其中许多在高影响力期刊上发表，并在学术界，工业界，政府机构和私人组织中取得成功。德克萨斯医学中心和德克萨斯大学医学分支机构的大力参与确保了学生参与并接触到与人类健康相关的研究。该计划中强调的定量和跨学科技能对于推进生物医学研究和在我们对人类疾病过程的理解以及新疗法和诊断方法的设计中取得突破至关重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Houston Area Molecular Biophysics Program has guided and directed research training in molecular biophysics for Ph.D. students in the Houston-Galveston area since 1989. A five-year renewal with two additional slots (11 total) is sought to allow continued excellence and innovation in training outstanding students working at the cutting edges of this increasingly important field. Under the direction of the program director and a steering committee with two representatives each from the five graduate schools of the Gulf Coast Consortium (Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, Houston, University of Texas Medical Branch, and University of Houston) the program provides for common didactic and seminar courses, two local annual research conferences, monthly trainee meetings, attendance at national meetings, and annual presentation and review of trainee research progress. All students are required to participate in training in the responsible conduct of research. Mentors include 46 faculty members at six institutions, working in 16 different departments and involved in three interdepartmental graduate programs. Trainees are selected in a highly competitive process from students whose projects in mentors' laboratories provide training in molecular biophysics. While trainee selection is based on merit, the program is committed to enhancing diversity and has been very successful in recruiting and retaining members of underrepresented groups. Research strengths include x-ray crystallography, macromolecular NMR, molecular electron microscopy, a wide range of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, single molecule methods, computational biophysics, membrane biophysics, protein folding, nucleic acid structure and ultrastructure, thermodynamics, kinetics and mechanistic enzymology. Supported students who complete the program publish an average of 4.5 papers from their thesis research, including many in high impact journals, and go on to successful careers in academia, industry, government agencies, and private organizations. The heavy involvement of institutions of the Texas Medical Center as well as the University of Texas Medical Branch ensures that students are involved in and exposed to research relevant to human health. The quantitative and interdisciplinary skills that are emphasized in the program are critical for advancing biomedical research and making breakthroughs in our understanding of human disease processes and in the design of new therapeutics and diagnostics.