IGERT Formal Proposal: Training Program in Neuro-mechanical Systems

该综合研究生教育和研究培训（IGERT）奖支持建立一个多学科的教育和研究的研究生培训计划，将现有的四个研究小组合并为一个新的实体，具有广泛的技术专业知识，但仍然专注于神经机械系统。每个现有的小组都有各种工程领域和生物科学之间合作的历史。然而，只有在付出巨大努力克服障碍之后，才能进行有意义的互动。培训计划将提供一个正式的过程，以帮助研究生通过该过程进行快速和有效的。参加培训计划的学生将参加跨学科课程，并在所有四个领域的实验室中轮换。一个多学科的研讨会，包括来自每个领域的领导人的长期访问，将吸引学生聚集在一起。资金将用于支付参加每个领域的科学会议和讲习班的旅费。一个共同的计算机设施和办公区将保持课堂以外的互动。临床和工业环境中的实习也将作为选项提供。我们还计划了一个积极的招聘计划，强调机构致力于培养学生在代表性不足的群体。我们的学员将毕业与适当的工具和必要的背景，以有效地在团队中工作。IGERT是一个NSF范围内的项目，旨在促进建立创新的，以研究为基础的研究生课程，这将培养一批多样化的科学家和工程师，为利用广泛的职业选择做好充分准备。IGERT为博士机构提供了一个开发新的，重点突出的多学科研究生课程的机会，这些课程超越了组织界限，并将来自多个部门或机构的教师联合起来，为培训和研究建立一个高度互动，协作的环境。在该计划的第二年，该奖项将颁发给21个机构，这些机构的项目涵盖了NSF支持的所有科学和工程领域。该奖项由生物科学，工程，计算机和信息科学与工程以及教育和人力资源部门提供资金支持。

This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) award supports the establishment of a multidisciplinary graduate training program of education and research merging four existing research groups into a new entity with broad technical expertise yet still sharing a focus on Neuro-mechanical systems. Each existing group has a history of collaboration between various engineering fields and the biological sciences. However, meaningful interactions only came after considerable effort to overcome barriers. The training program will provide a formal process to help graduate students proceed through that process quickly and efficiently. Students in the training program will participate in cross-disciplinary courses and rotate through laboratories in all four fields. A multidisciplinary seminar featuring extended visits from leaders in each field will draw students together. Funds will permit travel to scientific meetings and workshops in each field. A common computer facility and office area will maintain interactions beyond the classroom. Internships in clinical and industrial settings will also be available as options. We have also planned an aggressive recruitment program emphasizing institutions committed to training students in underrepresented groups. Our trainees will graduate with appropriate tools and background necessary to work efficiently in teams. We believe that such an experience will pay great dividends to both the students and the disciplines in which they choose to work.IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to facilitate the establishment of innovative, research-based graduate programs that will train a diverse group of scientists and engineers to be well-prepared to take advantage of a broad spectrum of career options. IGERT provides doctoral institutions with an opportunity to develop new, well-focussed multidisciplinary graduate programs that transcend organizational boundaries and unite faculty from several departments or institutions to establish a highly interactive, collaborative environment for both training and research. In this second year of the program, awards are being made to twenty-one institutions for programs that collectively span all areas of science and engineering supported by NSF. This specific award is supported by funds from the Directorates for Biological Sciences, for Engineering, for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, and for Education and Human Resources.