Collaborative URM Program: Empowering Historically Underrepresented Undergraduate Students in Functional Genomics

一项由密西西比州立大学（MSU）、奥尔康州立大学（ASU）、杰克逊州立大学（JSU）和图加卢学院（TC）四所合作机构开展的联合本科生研究和指导（URM）计划获得了奖励。作为牵头机构的密西西比州立大学（MSU）将培训四名学生，而合作机构——亚利桑那州立大学、JSU和TC——将各培训两名学生，为期两年。在为期三年的资助期内，将招募10名学生，并对他们进行功能基因组学研究方面的培训。该项目的目标是让非裔美国本科生参与功能基因组学和计算生物学的研究，并为这些学生在生物科学领域的研究生学习做好准备。来自四所合作院校的至少二十名致力于教学和研究的教员将担任潜在的研究导师。每位学生将与两位导师一起工作，一位来自他们自己的机构，另一位来自合作机构。学生将从一些涉及植物、动物和微生物的基础生物学问题的可用项目中选择自己的个人项目，包括环境毒理学、植物和动物遗传学和发育、基因组测序和注释、系统生物学和生物信息学方面的基本问题。在计算生物学和生物信息学的使用培训将是该计划的组成部分。密歇根州立大学为期八周的暑期培训项目将提供基因组学入门课程，以及科学交流、实验室安全和实验室实验方面的研讨会。学生将通过参加讲座、为同行评议的期刊撰写稿件以及在会议上发表演讲来提高他们的科学交流技巧。此外，学生将接受职业咨询，以增强他们的自信心，并增加他们在研究生学习中的成功。这个由四所大学组成的联盟，其中三所是指定的传统黑人学院和大学（HBCU）机构，将采用面对面和网络会议相结合的方式，为所有参与者提供支持和交流机会。欲了解更多信息，请访问http://www.urm.msstate.edu，或联系任何参与机构的项目主任：密歇根州立大学的埃尔多安·梅米利博士（em149@ads.msstate.edu）、奥尔康州立大学的高明博士（mgao@alcorn.edu）、图加卢学院的Bettye Sue Hennington博士（bshennington@yahoo.com）或杰克逊州立大学的Raphael Isokpehi博士（raphael.isokpehi@jsums.edu）。

An award has been made to establish a joint Undergraduate Research and Mentoring (URM) program to be conducted by four collaborating institutions, Mississippi State University (MSU), Alcorn State University (ASU), Jackson State University (JSU), and Tougaloo College (TC). Mississippi State University (MSU), serving as lead institution, will train four students, and the collaborating institutions -- ASU, JSU and TC -- will each train two students, for a period of two years. Over the three-year grant period, a cohort of ten students will be recruited and trained in research focused on functional genomics. The goal of the program is to engage African-American undergraduates in functional genomics and computational biology research and to prepare these students for graduate studies in the biological sciences. At least twenty faculty members from the four collaborating institutions, who are dedicated to both teaching and research, will serve as potential research mentors. Each student will work with two mentors, one from their own institution and a second from one of the collaborating institutions. Students will select their own individual project from a number of available projects addressing fundamental biological questions involving plants, animals, and microbes, including basic questions in environmental toxicology, plant and animal genetics and development, genome sequencing and annotation, systems biology, and bioinformatics. Training in computational biology and the use of bioinformatics will be integral components of the program. An eight week summer training program at MSU will provide introductory courses on genomics, and workshops in scientific communication, lab safety, and lab experimentation. Students will enhance their scientific communication skills by attending lectures, writing manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals, and giving presentations at conferences. In addition, students will receive career counseling to enhance their self-confidence, and increase their success in graduate studies. The consortium of four institutions, three of which are designated Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) institution, will use a combination of face-to-face and web-based meetings to provide support and networking opportunities for all participants. Additional information is available by visiting http://www.urm.msstate.edu, or by contacting the Program Directors at any of the participating institutions: Dr. Erdogan Memili at MSU (em149@ads.msstate.edu), Dr. Ming Gao at Alcorn State University (mgao@alcorn.edu), Dr. Bettye Sue Hennington at Tougaloo College (bshennington@yahoo.com), or Dr. Raphael Isokpehi at Jackson State University (raphael.isokpehi@jsums.edu).