Biotechnology Predoctoral Training Program

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案要求更新西北大学生物技术博士前培训项目的资金，该项目支持一系列培训精选学生的核心活动，同时也为生物技术社区提供核心，并提供大量培训机会。这个跨学科和跨部门的课程吸引了五个参与单位的学生：生物与化学工程系（ChBE），生物医学工程系（BME），材料科学与工程系（MSE），化学系（Chem）和跨部门生物科学研究生课程（IBiS）。从生命科学实验室中选择的研究机会由核心跨学科课程补充。对负责任的研究行为的指导主要通过生物研究伦理学这门课程来进行。三至六个月的工业实习使受训者接触现代生物技术的工业环境。所有的学员和许多导师都参加了IBiS，这是一个为期两天的校外年度静修，它允许来自许多学科的学生和教师之间进行广泛的互动，并增加了学员群体的凝聚力。生物技术研究进展会议每月举行一次，是学员和教师展示和讨论他们的研究成果并与其他学员互动的论坛。学员组织和主持生物技术系列研讨会，将工业界和学术界的科学家带到校园与学员进行讨论。此外，学员还组织生物技术实习和生物技术日。实习课程提供当前和新兴生物技术的实践培训，而生物技术日则向来自行业的众多代表介绍学员和更广泛的生物技术社区，他们可以回答问题并讨论他们的职业道路和应对行业机遇和挑战的策略。个人发展计划是可供学员选择的几个专业发展方案的一个组成部分。该计划通过研讨会系列的大量广告、电子邮件公告、小册子和网页招募学员。在过去4年里，我们为招收代表性不足群体的学生作出了大量努力，并取得了相当大的成功，25%的学员来自代表性不足群体。指导委员会有效地从所有参与部门挑选受训人员，并将受训人员分配给现有的导师。重要的是，西北大学正在为该项目提供重要的资源。研究生院提供5个额外的1年培训时间以及学费补贴，麦考密克工程学院和化学与生物工程系提供津贴补贴、行政支持和运营资金。根据对生物技术感兴趣的学生数量，我们要求将资助职位从6个增加到8个。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests renewal funding for the Biotechnology Predoctoral Training Program at Northwestern University, which supports a series of core activities for training a select group of students, yet also serves to nucleate the biotechnology community and provides numerous training opportunities. This interdisciplinary and interdepartmental Program draws students from five participating units: the Departments of Biological & Chemical Engineering (ChBE), Biomedical Engineering (BME), Material Sciences & Engineering (MSE), Chemistry (Chem), and the Interdepartmental Biological Sciences (IBiS) graduate program. Research opportunities, chosen from among a selection of laboratories in the life sciences, are complemented by a core interdisciplinary curriculum. Instruction in the responsible conduct of research is carried out primarily through the course, Ethics in Biological Research. Three- to 6-month industrial internships expose trainees to the industrial environment of modern biotechnology. All trainees and many preceptors participate in the IBiS, 2- day, off-campus annual retreat, which allows extensive interactions among students and faculty from many disciplines and increases the cohesiveness of the trainee group. The Biotechnology Research in Progress Meetings occur monthly and is the forum where trainees and faculty present and discuss their research results and interact with other trainees. Trainees organize and host a Biotechnology Seminar Series that bring industrial and academic scientists to campus for discussions with trainees. Additionally, the trainees organize a Biotechnology Practicum and Biotechnology Day. The practicum provides hands-on training in current and emerging biotechnologies, whereas Biotechnology Day introduces trainees and broader biotechnology community to numerous representatives from industry, who can answer questions and discuss their career paths and strategies for navigating the opportunities and challenges in industry. An Individual Development Plan is one component of several available professional development options that are available to the trainees. Trainees are recruited by the Program through extensive advertising in the Seminar Series, email announcements, brochures, and web pages. Intensive efforts are made to recurit student from underrepresented groups, and have been quite successful with 25% of trainees from the past 4 years from underrepresented groups. The Steering Committee has been effective in selecting trainees from all participating departments, and distributing the trainees among the available preceptors. Importantly, Northwestern University is providing significant resources to the program. The Graduate School provides 5 additional 1-year training slots along with tuition supplements, and the McCormick School of Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering contribute stipend supplements, administrative support, and operating funds. Based on the size of quality of the student pool interested in biotechnology, we have requested an increase from 6 to 8 funded positions.