Biotechnology Predoctoral Training Program

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Project Summary This proposal requests renewal funding for the Biotechnology Predoctoral Training Program at Northwestern University, which supports core activities for training a select group of students, nucleates the biotechnology community, and provides many training opportunities. This interdisciplinary and interdepartmental Program draws students from 5 participating units: the Departments of Chemical & Biological Engineering (ChBE), Biomedical Engineering (BME), Material Sciences & Engineering (MSE), and Chemistry (Chem), and the Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences (IBiS) graduate program. Research opportunities, chosen from rotations in bioengineering and life sciences laboratories, are complemented by a core interdisciplinary curriculum. Instruction in responsible conduct of research is provided, in part through a formal course, and discussion and training in reproducibility and rigor (R&R) is woven throughout the Program. Three- to six-month industrial internships expose trainees to modern biotechnology. All trainees and many preceptors attend the annual IBiS off-campus retreat, allowing extensive interactions among students and faculty from many disciplines. A BTP- only retreat increases the cohesiveness of the trainee group. At monthly biotechnology Research in Progress meetings, trainees and faculty discuss their research results and challenges, develop communication skills, interact with other trainees, and discuss personal experience with R&R challenges and strategies. Trainees select topics and suggest speakers for a Biotechnology Seminar Series that brings industrial and academic scientists to campus for discussions with trainees. Trainees also organize a Biotechnology Practicum and help with Biotechnology Day. The Practicum provides both pedagogical and experiential, hands-on training in current and emerging biotechnologies. Biotechnology Day introduces trainees and the broader biotechnology community to numerous representatives from industry, who answer questions and discuss their career paths and strategies for navigating opportunities and challenges in industry. Professional development also includes crafting and discussing an Individual Development Plan. Trainees are recruited by the Program through graduate program orientations, email, brochures, presentations, and web pages. Extensive efforts are made to recruit and support students from underrepresented groups and/or with disabilities. We have been quite successful with 17% of trainees from the past 5 years from underrepresented groups. The Steering Committee selects trainees from all 5 graduate programs, and distributes slots among the preceptors. Northwestern provides significant resources to enhance the Program and increase the number of students benefitted. The Graduate School provides 5 additional 1-year training slots and tuition supplements; the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching conducts regular Program assessment and evaluation; and the McCormick School of Engineering, the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and the ChBE and Molecular Biosciences Departments contribute stipend supplements, administrative support, and operating funds.