Novel TIRF microscopy analyzing trafficking & signaling at the cell cortex

在为期3个月的带薪研究经历中，我们将在两个暑假里招募4名有才华的工程和计算机科学本科学生，为我父母的新创新者（DP2）奖的子目标的进展做出实质性的贡献；DP2的主要具体目标是开发新型显微镜（目标1）和分析工具（目标2）来研究细胞皮层的膜运输（目标3）。具体来说，学生将从事两个项目之一：i)设计、构建和改进电子电路，以控制多角度FRAP/TIRFM上的XY反射镜（Aim 1B）和/或新的自动感应校准设备（Aim 2）或ii)开发模型或软件，通过多角度TIRFM在3D中可视化和跟踪囊泡（Aim 2）。他们的进步将直接有利于DP2的目标，新的电子和软件的性能将被基准和迭代改进。培训和监督将由PI和dp2支持的资深科学家Polejaev博士负责。学生们将受益于耶鲁大学“CINEMA”实验室成像中心的基础设施，该中心由PI领导。

In 3-month paid research experiences, over two summers, 4 talented undergraduate engineering and computer science students will be recruited to contribute in a substantial way to the progress of sub-aims of my parent New Innovator (DP2) Award; the DP2's main specific aims are to develop novel microscopes (Aim 1) and analytical tools (Aim 2) to study membrane trafficking at the cell cortex (Aim 3). Specifically, students will work on one of two projects: i) Design and construct and improve electronic circuits to control the galvometric XY mirror on our multi-angle FRAP/TIRFM (Aim 1B) and/or new auto-sensing calibration devices (Aim 2) or ii) Develop models or software to visualize and track vesicles in 3D by multi-angle TIRFM (Aim 2 ). Their advances will directly benefits goals of the DP2 and the new electronics and software's performance will be benchmarked and iteratively improved. Training and oversight will come from the PI and the DP2-supported senior scientist, Dr. Polejaev. Students will benefit from the infrastructure of the Yale 'CINEMA' lab imaging center, which is under the PI's directorship. Two outstanding US engineering students have already been identified, Noah Pestana and Isaac Anderson, both of whom have expressed a high interest in participating this summer on projects (i) and (ii), respectively. In the second summer, a particular emphasis will be made to recruit minority undergraduate students through the Yale 'STARS' program for minorities. All proposed activity are within the scope of the parent DP2 and capitalizes on early successes and will accelerate the tempo of two of the approved specific aims. Consistent with the recovery act's goal, this funding will provide full-time summer employment for 4 undergraduate students and accelerate scientific achievement of the parent DP2 award.