Biotechnology Predoctoral Training Program

描述(由申请人提供)：本提案要求为西北大学生物技术博士前培训项目续期提供资金，该项目支持一系列核心活动，以培训一批精选的学生，同时也为生物技术社区提供核心，并提供大量培训机会。这一跨学科和跨部门的课程吸引了来自五个参与单位的学生：生物与化学工程(CHBE)、生物医学工程(BME)、材料科学与工程(MSE)、化学(CHEM)和跨部门生物科学(IBIS)研究生课程。从精选的生命科学实验室中挑选的研究机会，辅之以核心的跨学科课程。对负责任的研究行为的指导主要是通过课程--生物研究伦理--进行的。为期三到六个月的工业实习使学员接触到现代生物技术的工业环境。所有受训者和许多导师都参加了IBIS为期两天的校外年度静修活动，这让来自多个学科的学生和教职员工之间进行了广泛的互动，并增加了受训人员群体的凝聚力。生物技术研究进展会议每月举行一次，是学员和教职员工展示和讨论他们的研究成果并与其他学员互动的论坛。学员组织并主持一系列生物技术研讨会，邀请工业界和学术界的科学家到校园与学员进行讨论。此外，学员还组织了生物技术实践和生物技术日。实践课程提供关于当前和新兴生物技术的实践培训，而生物技术日则将受训者和更广泛的生物技术社区介绍给众多来自行业的代表，他们可以回答问题并讨论他们的职业道路和战略，以驾驭行业的机遇和挑战。个人发展计划是受训人员可利用的几种可供选择的职业发展方案之一。该计划通过在研讨会系列、电子邮件公告、宣传册和网页上广泛刊登广告来招募学员。为重新培养来自代表性不足群体的学员作出了密集的努力，并取得了相当大的成功，过去4年中有25%的学员来自代表性不足的群体。督导委员会一直有效地从所有参与部门挑选学员，并将学员分配给现有的导师。重要的是，西北大学为该项目提供了大量资源。研究生院提供5个额外的为期一年的培训时段以及学费补贴，麦考密克工程学院和化学和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群体的质量大小，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.