Biotechnology Predoctoral Training Program

描述（由申请人提供）：该提案要求为西北大学的生物技术博士前培训计划提供更新资金，该计划支持一系列核心活动，用于培训一批选定的学生，同时也为生物技术社区提供核心，并提供众多培训机会。这个跨学科和跨部门的计划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。负责任的研究行为的教学主要通过生物研究伦理学课程进行。3至6个月的工业实习使受训者接触现代生物技术的工业环境。所有学员和许多导师参加IBIS，为期2天，校外年度务虚会，这使得来自许多学科的学生和教师之间的广泛互动，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，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研讨会系列，将工业和学术科学家带到校园与学员进行讨论。此外，学员还组织了生物技术实习和生物技术日。实习提供了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了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策略，以应对行业中的机遇和挑战。个人发展计划是可供受训者选择的几种职业发展方案之一。培训人员是通过在研讨会系列，电子邮件公告，小册子和网页广泛的广告计划招募。为招收代表性不足群体的学生做出了大量努力，在过去四年中，25%的学员来自代表性不足群体，这一努力相当成功。指导委员会有效地从所有参与部门中挑选受训人员，并将受训人员分配给现有的教员。重要的是，西北大学正在为该计划提供重要的资源。研究生院提供5个额外的为期1年的培训名额沿着学费补贴，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人数的质量，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.