Interdisciplinary Visual Sciences (IVS) Traininig Program

说明(申请人提供)：从《视觉研究；国家计划》中明确指出，视觉研究涵盖了生物科学、认知科学和临床研究的各个学科。视觉科学家意识到跨学科研究方法的重要性，以及将基础研究的结果快速转化为临床护理的重要性。因此，下一代视觉科学家将需要在一个强调尖端科学、跨学科合作、了解视觉系统和接触临床眼科的环境中发展他们的科学技能。这一培训计划虽然涉及的科学学科范围很广，但重点是 在匹兹堡大学创造一个有利于互动和 视觉科学家之间的合作，并让博士后学生和博士后研究员参与跨学科的方法来了解视觉系统和眼睛疾病。尽管这款T32应用侧重于基础科学家的培训，但我们的受训人员将经常与临床眼科医生互动，参加名为“视觉生物学”的教学视觉课程的讲师，并通过课程作业、研讨会和数据俱乐部与医生和科学家进行密切互动。我们的T32培训计划将吸引来自免疫学、分子病毒学和微生物学、神经科学、细胞生物学和分子生理学以及生物工程研究生培训计划的研究生。这些计划将提供结构和基本课程，而T32培训计划将提供视觉研究方面的专门培训。拟议的方案还将为视觉研究方面的博士后研究员提供一个结构，该结构将与重要的支助结构相协调 已经在大学里就位了。我们将努力吸引最聪明的学生和博士后，目标是1)对眼睛的解剖学、生理学和疾病有基本的了解；2)欣赏和利用眼睛独特的解剖和生理特征；以及3)认识到现有的眼病动物模型的优点和局限性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): It clearly emerges from "Vision Research; A National Plan" that vision research embraces every discipline in the biological sciences, cognitive sciences, and clinical research. Vision scientists are aware of the importance of the interdisciplinary approach to research, and of rapid translation of findings in basic research to clinical care. Accordingly, the next generation of vision scientists will need to develop their scientific skills within an environment that stresses cutting edge science, interdisciplinary cooperation, an understanding of the visual system, and exposure to clinical ophthalmology. This training program, while broad in the scope of participating scientific disciplines, is focused on creating at the University of Pittsburgh a training environment that will favor interactions and collaborations among vision scientists, and involve pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the visual system and ocular diseases. Although this T32 application focuses on training of basic scientists, our trainees will have frequent interactions with clinical ophthalmologists, attend lecturers in our didactic vision cours entitled "Biology of Vision", and have close interactions with physician-scientists through course work, seminars, and data clubs. Our T32 training program will draw graduate students from the Immunology, Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Neuroscience, Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology, and Bioengineering graduate training programs. These programs will provide the structure and basic curriculum, whereas the T32 training program will provide specialized training in vision research. The proposed program will also provide a structure for training of postdoctoral fellows in vision research that will coordinate with the significant support structure already in place at the university. We will strive to attract the brightest students and postdocs with the goals of providing 1) a basic understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and diseases of the eye; 2) appreciation and utilization of the unique anatomical and physiological characteristics of the eye; and 3) awareness of the strengths and limitations of available animal models for ocular diseases.