REU Site: Interdisciplinary Program in Multi-scale Biological Networks

REU Site奖授予位于德克萨斯州休斯顿的莱斯大学，将在2016-2018年夏季为10名学生提供为期10周的培训。这个REU网站旨在让学生接触到生物研究的兴奋，以及不同的科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）学科对生物系统的详细理解所做出的日益增长的贡献。为了实现这一目标，学生们将在实验室工作，从经典的生物化学和遗传学到需要计算的非平凡理论建模。研究领域包括：(i)生物分子结构、功能和进化；（ii）自然发生的遗传网络；（iii）合成遗传和代谢网络；（iv）生态网络。参与的教师导师来自多个系，包括生物科学、生物工程、化学与生物分子工程、化学和计算机科学。除了研究之外，学生们还将参加研讨会，重点是道德和负责任的研究行为、专业交流、职业机会和研究生院申请过程。除了在顶点海报研讨会上展示他们的研究成果外，学生们还将通过合作小组的工作，获得一个创造性的机会来发展创新的生物技术提案想法。预计总共将有30名学生，主要来自研究机会有限的学校，将在该项目中接受培训。学生将在全国范围内招生，重点招收附近的少数民族服务机构的学生，包括社区大学和四年制大学。学生将学习如何进行研究，许多人将在科学会议上展示他们的工作成果。由生物基础设施司（生物科学理事会）资助的所有REU项目使用的通用网络评估工具将用于确定培训计划的有效性。课程结束后，将对学生进行跟踪，以确定学生的职业道路。学生将被要求回复通过NSF报告系统自动发送的电子邮件。有关该计划的更多信息请访问http://ibb.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=563，或联系PI （Joff Silberg博士joff@rice.edu）或co-PI （George Bennett博士gbennett@rice.edu）。

This REU Site award to Rice University, located in Houston, TX, will support the training of ten students for ten weeks during the summers of 2016-2018. This REU site seeks to expose students to the excitement of biological research and the increasing contributions that different science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines are making towards a detailed understanding of biological systems. To achieve this, students will work in labs that draw from an array of approaches - from classical biochemical and genetic to non-trivial theoretical modeling that requires computation. The research areas include: (i) biomolecular structure, function, and evolution, (ii) naturally-occurring genetic networks, (iii) synthetic genetic and metabolic networks, and (iv) ecological networks. The participating faculty mentors come from a range of departments including Biosciences, Bioengineering, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Chemistry, and Computer Science. In addition to research, students will participate in workshops that focus on ethics and responsible conduct of research, professional communication, career opportunities, and the graduate school application process. In addition to presenting their research at a capstone poster symposium, students will be provided a creative opportunity to develop innovative biotechnology proposal ideas by working in collaborative groups.It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities, will be trained in the program. Students will be recruited nationwide, with an emphasis on students enrolled at proximal minority-serving institutions, including community colleges and four-year institutions. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences.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 will be tracked after the program in order to determine student career paths. Students will be asked to respond to an automatic email sent via the NSF reporting system. More information about the program is available at http://ibb.rice.edu/Content.aspx?id=563, or by contacting the PI (Dr. Joff Silberg at joff@rice.edu) or the co-PI (Dr. George Bennett at gbennett@rice.edu).