REU Site: Research Experiences at the Interface of Chemistry and Biological Sciences

在这个项目中，由国家科学基金会化学部的本科生研究经验（REU）网站计划资助，佛罗里达迈阿密大学的Marc Knecht教授专注于化学和生物科学之间的界面研究。该网站每年为16名本科生提供为期10周的多学科研究经验。这包括一个双重指导计划，确保在研究的化学和生物科学方面的丰富经验，以及结果的传播（例如，出版物和介绍）。项目的样本包括纳米毒性，细胞信号的电线，体内传感的荧光探针。所有项目都为学生提供接触生物研究的化学方面。该计划还为每个学生提供职业建设练习，以鼓励他们在科学和研究职业中进行研究生学习。大力鼓励代表性不足的学生和女学生参加，并聚集了一批高度多样化的参与者。招聘重点放在2年制大学生，以确保他们有机会参加密集的研究经验，这通常是在他们的机构不可用。这个REU网站提供了一个暑期研究的机会，有动机的学生与至少两年的化学课程。学生可以在化学和生物科学之间的界面上选择研究项目，重点是合作研究。在这项研究计划中，当化学原理应用于生物科学中的问题时，实现了新的研究途径。研究活跃的教师监督学生，每个项目是至少两名教师（化学和生物科学各一名）之间的共同努力。每周举行研讨会，以激发讨论，并提供有关就业机会，当前的研究问题，职业道德和有效的沟通技巧的信息。在内部“小型研讨会”为学生提供了一个平台，介绍他们的研究。参加者还有机会参加国家或区域会议。这一系列的活动有助于学生的科学成长，也鼓励他们从事科学研究。该计划的重点是招募和参与研究的代表性不足的少数民族，迫切需要在科学研究劳动力的预计未来的要求。参与的学生主要是从南佛罗里达高等院校招募的，这些院校的少数民族学生人数非常多。

In this project, funded by the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites Program in the Chemistry Division at the National Science Foundation, Professor Marc Knecht at the University of Miami in Florida focuses on research at the interface between chemistry and biological sciences. This site provides 16 undergraduates students per year with a 10-week multidisciplinary research experience. This includes a dual mentoring program ensuring strong experiences in both the chemistry and biological sciences aspects of the research, as well as dissemination of results (e.g., publications and presentations). Samples of projects include nanotoxicity, electrical wiring of cell signaling, fluorescent probes for in vivo sensing. All projects provide students with exposure to the chemical aspects of biological research. The program also provides each student with career building exercises to encourage them to pursue graduate studies in science and research careers. Underrepresented and female students are strongly encouraged to participate, and a highly diverse cohort of participants are assembled. Recruitment emphasis is placed on 2-year college students to ensure that they have an opportunity to participate in an intensive research experience, which typically is not available at their institutions. This REU Site provides summer research opportunities for motivated students with a minimum of two years of chemistry coursework. The students are offered a choice of research projects at the interface between chemistry and biological sciences, with an emphasis on collaborative research. In this research program, new avenues of research are realized when chemical principles are applied to problems in the biological sciences. Research-active faculty supervise the students, with each project being a joint effort between at least two faculty members (one each in chemistry and biological sciences). Weekly seminars are conducted to stimulate discussion and provide information on career opportunities, current research issues, professional ethics, and effective communication skills. In house "mini-symposia" provide the students with a platform to present their research. The participants also are given the opportunity to attend national or regional conferences. This spectrum of activities contributes towards the scientific growth of the students, and also encourage them to pursue careers in scientific research. The program focuses on recruiting and engaging underrepresented minorities with research, an urgent need in light of the projected future requirements in the scientific research workforce. The participating students are predominantly recruited from South Florida institutions of higher learning, which have very high populations of underrepresented minority students.