REU Site: Interdisciplinary Convergence to Advance the Biotechnological and Bioscience Workforce

阿拉巴马大学塔斯卡卢萨分校(UA)生物技术REU将在三年内每年培训10名本科生，以开展生物技术相关领域的跨学科研究。生物技术在美国是一个快速发展的工业部门，在健康、能源和国防领域都有应用。然而，专门向本科生传授生物技术技术的学术项目寥寥无几。在这个REU网站，一个由生物化学、生物学和生物工程方面的教师组成的跨学科团队已经聚集在一起指导学生，重点放在生物技术领域常见的应用和仪器上。参与的学生将通过几个计划的活动获得额外的经验，包括受邀的演讲者和实地考察。这些活动将有助于建立一个多样化的学生群体，并为他们提供在生物技术工作中取得成功所需的技能。该项目将在亚利桑那州大学开发一个新的为期10周的跨学科REU站点，重点是生物技术和生物科学研究。这一REU项目将为学生提供生物技术相关研究领域的培训，同时帮助他们培养在生物技术劳动力中脱颖而出所需的技能。学生将首先参加生物化学和仪器设备训练营，以发展对生物技术工具和技术的基本了解，这些工具和技术将使他们在整个项目中受益。该项目将重点教授学生许多常用的生物技术方法和研究技术，这将使他们能够在研究生院或工业部门取得成功。在报告和口头陈述中，有几个机会展示他们的研究，旨在提高书面和口头交流技能，并使学生能够与同龄人和普通公众进行交流。该项目将把重点放在招收HBCU、为拉美裔服务的社区大学和传统上在STEM领域代表性不足的组织的学生。所有这些活动将使REU能够实现其培养生物技术相关学科的下一代领导者、研究人员和教育工作者的目标。该项目由工程教育和中心分部和既定的激励竞争研究计划(EPSCoR)联合资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa (UA) REU in Biotechnology will train ten undergraduate students per year over three years to carry out interdisciplinary research in biotechnology-related areas. Biotechnology is a rapidly growing industrial sector throughout the United States, with applications in health, energy, and defense. However, there are very few academic programs dedicated solely to teaching undergraduate students biotechnology techniques. In this REU site, an interdisciplinary team of faculty members in biochemistry, biology, and biological engineering has been assembled to mentor students, with a focus on applications and instrumentation commonly found in the biotechnology field. Participating students will gain additional experience through several planned activities, including invited speakers and field trips. These activities will help to build a diverse cohort of students and provide them with the skills necessary to succeed in the biotechnology workforce.This project will develop a new 10-week interdisciplinary REU site at UA with a focus on biotechnology and bioscience research. This REU program will provide students with training in biotechnology-related research areas while helping them develop the skills necessary to excel in the biotechnology workforce. The students will first participate in a biochemistry and instrumentation bootcamp to develop a fundamental understanding of the biotechnology tools and techniques that will benefit them throughout their time in the program. The project will place a heavy emphasis on teaching students many common biotechnology methods and research techniques, which will enable them to succeed in graduate school or the industrial sector. Several opportunities to present their research, both in reports and oral presentations, are designed to improve written and verbal communication skills and enable the students to communicate to peers and the general public. The project will place a strong focus on recruiting students from HBCUs, Hispanic-serving community colleges, and organizations that are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields. All of these activities will enable this REU to achieve its goal of training the next generation of leaders, researchers, and educators in biotechnology-related disciplines.This project is jointly funded by the Division of Engineering Education and Centers and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.