TUES: Integration of Research and Undergraduate Education: Local Genome Diversity Studies in Puerto Rico

该项目名为“TUES：研究与本科教育的整合：波多黎各的本地基因组多样性研究”，将一项由教员开始的研究项目纳入生物学专业的课程。由于几次移民和殖民浪潮，该岛今天的人口显示出来自非洲、欧洲和美洲原住民的遗传标记。通过系统地调查当地人口的特征变异频率并将其映射到地理上，可能会找到支持历史记录的遗传证据。现代遗传学概念、技术和分析的这种应用，使所涉及的学生可以具体地进行相当抽象的学习。开发的信息可能在未来用于确定疾病的风险因素，这是除了对学生进行教育外，研究的直接积极结果。通过认真的指导和指导，学生们从教室走进田野，然后进入实验室完成这个项目。他们还逐步承担更多的个人责任，为他们对整个项目的贡献。该项目的影响也超出了研究目标的实现和对学生的教育。波多黎各大学马亚圭兹分校的学生群体中有97%是西班牙裔，这一群体在科学界的代表性不足。他们留在理科专业应该会增加受过科学教育的人群的多样性。此外，该项目的设计可以适应历史上发生过基因混合的其他领域。学生们准备通过向当地高中介绍他们的研究故事来交流科学成果，从而吸引更多的学生继续上大学，可能还会学习科学。

The project "TUES: Integration of Research and Undergraduate Education: Local Genome Diversity Studies in Puerto Rico" incorporates a research project begun by faculty into the curriculum of the Biology major. Because of several waves of immigration and colonization, the present day population of the island shows genetic markers derived from African, European, and Native American sources. By systematically surveying the population in local regions for frequency of characteristic variants and mapping those onto the geography, it may be possible to find genetic evidence that supports the historical record. This application of modern genetic concepts, techniques and analysis makes a rather abstract study concrete to the students involved. The information developed might be used in the future to identify risk factors for diseases, a direct positive outcome of the research in addition to the education of the students. Through careful instruction and mentoring, students go from the classroom into the field and then into the laboratory to accomplish this project. They also progressively assume increased individual responsibility for their contributions to the overall project. This project also has impacts beyond the accomplishment of the research objective and education of the students. The student body at University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez is 97% Hispanic, a population underrepresented in the sciences. Their retention in science majors should increase the diversity of the scientifically literate population. Moreover, the project's design is amenable to adaptation in other areas where genetic mixing has occurred over historical time. Students are prepared to communicate scientific results by reaching out to local high schools with the story of their research, thereby attracting more students to continue on to college and possibly study science.