REU Site: Program in Structural Biology at the University of Oklahoma

这个REU网站奖给位于俄克拉荷马州诺曼的俄克拉荷马州大学，将支持在2015-2017年夏季为期9周的课程中每年夏季培训10名学生。REU课程向所有美国公民，国民或永久居民的本科生开放。在该计划中接受培训的学生将获得实验室研究技能，培养他们的批判性思维和解决问题的能力，了解科学的过程，并能够将他们的研究成果传达给他们的同行和公众。学生将有机会在全国会议上展示他们的成果。REU计划为学生提供了一种体验，这种体验通常在他们的家庭机构中无法获得。鼓励来自研究机会有限的学校和代表性不足的群体的学生申请。这个REU网站计划将专注于涉及结构生物学方法来回答生物学问题的研究。例如，项目包括1）小的药物样分子及其细胞靶点的结构-功能研究，2）选择产甲烷菌的转录调控，3）血红素金属蛋白中的配体相互作用，4）启动子-RNA（pRNA）在噬菌体包装马达中的作用，5）在植物细胞壁合成中起作用的酶的作用，和6）来自酵母的His-Asp磷酸化信号传导途径中的蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用。 在为期9周的课程中，学生将了解研究生院的申请过程，他们将通过实地考察整个俄克拉荷马州中部的不同研究设施来了解可能的就业机会。在程序结束时，学生将在海报和/或口头报告提出他们的研究。由生物基础设施司（生物科学局）资助的所有REU计划使用的共同网络评估工具将用于确定培训计划的有效性。学生需要在课程结束后进行跟踪，并必须通过NSF报告系统自动发送电子邮件。更多信息请联系PI（Dr. Paul A.西姆斯; psims@ou.edu）或共同研究者（安东尼W。G. Burgett; anthony.burgett@ ou.edu）。

This REU Site award to the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, OK, will support the training of 10 students per summer in a 9-week program during the summers of 2015-2017. The REU program is open to all undergraduate students who are citizens, nationals or permanent residents of the United States. Students trained in the program will gain skills in lab research, develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, understand the process of science, and be able to communicate their research results to their peers and the general public. Students will have an opportunity to present their results at a national conference. The REU program provides an experience to students that is typically not available to them at their home institutions. Students from schools with limited opportunities for research and from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.This REU Site program will focus on research that involves a structural biology approach to answering biological questions. Example projects include structure-function investigations of 1) small, drug-like molecules and their cellular targets, 2) transcription regulation in select methanogens, 3) ligand interactions in heme metalloproteins, 4) the role of promoter-RNA (pRNA) in the bacteriophage packaging motor, 5) the role of enzymes that act in plant cell-wall synthesis, and 6) protein-protein interactions in a His-Asp phosphorelay signaling pathway from yeast. During the 9-week program, students will learn about the application process for graduate school, and they will learn about possible career opportunities by going on field trips to different research facilities throughout central Oklahoma. At the end of the program, students will present their research in a poster and/or oral presentation. A common web-based assessment tool used by all REU programs funded by the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Directorate for Biological Sciences) will be used to determine the effectiveness of the training program. Students are required to be tracked after the program and must respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information is available by contacting the PI (Dr. Paul A. Sims; psims@ou.edu) or co-PI (Dr. Anthony W. G. Burgett; anthony.burgett@ou.edu).