RAPID: The National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP), a Virtual Platform for Engaging Underrepresented Minorities in STEM

新冠肺炎疫情对REU SITES计划造成了前所未有的破坏。在2021年夏季，很少有REU项目能够提供典型的面对面实验室或现场REU研究体验。亚利桑那大学的这一快速获奖将通过向本科生提供完全虚拟的REU课程来帮助减轻疫情的影响。暑期研究对留住STEM学生至关重要，也是学生申请研究生院的一项重要活动。亚利桑那大学的国家暑期本科生研究项目(NSURP)将在2021年夏天邀请大约40名本科生参加REU项目，为期8周。NSURP是一个虚拟项目，因此学生将远程进行研究(即，不是在机构的潮湿实验室环境中)。根据学生的兴趣，他们将被匹配到全国各地的许多实验室中的一个。参加该项目不需要出差，学生将在自愿接待本科生的教职员工和/或科学家的指导下获得全套研究培训。REU参与者需要全职参与他们将与导师共同开发的项目。学生们将学习如何进行研究，获得专业技能，并有机会在全国科学会议上展示他们的工作成果。NSURP将在STEM招收代表不足的少数族裔，就读于少数族裔服务机构和社区大学的学生，以及已被REU录取但因计划取消而被拒绝的学生。将使用在线SALG Urssa工具以及将由亚利桑那大学教育学院进行的评估来评估该计划的有效性。NSURP将在项目结束后对学生进行跟踪，以确定他们的职业道路。NSURP专注于微生物学的所有领域(宿主-微生物相互作用、环境微生物学、生理机制、共生、信号通路等)。和计算免疫学。学生研究项目包括来自全国各地不同部门的生物学研究。参与者将被要求参加每周的研讨会、专业发展讲座和道德培训，及时完成计划评估，并参加他们从事工作的实验室认为必要的所有活动。参加项目的学生将由NSURP董事会做出选择，并将基于学生的职业目标和他们远程工作的能力。必须是美国公民、美国国民或永久居民才有资格的学生将获得津贴。更多信息，包括以前NSURP项目的清单和介绍，可以在https://nsurp.org.上找到欲了解更多详细信息，请联系PI(Michael D.L.Johnson博士)或通过nsurporg@gmail.com联系项目管理员。该项目由生物科学局内的分子和细胞生物科学(MCB)、整合和组织系统(IOS)、环境生物学(DEB)和生物基础设施(DBI)部门支持。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 COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption to the REU Sites program. During summer 2021, very few REU programs will be able to offer the typical in-person lab- or field-based REU research experience. This RAPID award to the University of Arizona will help mitigate the impact of the pandemic by offering a completely virtual REU program to undergraduates. Summer research is vital to retention of students in STEM and an important activity for students applying to graduate school. The National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP) at the University of Arizona will engage approximately 40 undergraduates in an REU program for 8 weeks during summer of 2021. NSURP is a virtual program so students will conduct research remotely (i.e., not in a wet lab setting at an institution). Students will be matched to one of many laboratories around the country, based on their interest. There is no travel required to participate in the program, and students will get the full suite of research training under the mentorship of faculty and/or scientists who have volunteered to host an undergraduate. REU participants are expected to work full time on a project they will develop with their mentor. Students will learn how research is conducted, gain professional skills, and have the opportunity to present the results of their work at a national scientific conference. NSURP will recruit underrepresented minorities in STEM, students attending Minority Serving Institutions and community colleges, and students who have been accepted to an REU but denied the program due to cancellation. The effectiveness of the program will be assessed using the online SALG URSSA tool as well as an assessment to be done by the University of Arizona College of Education. Students will be tracked after the program in order to determine their career paths.NSURP is focused on all fields of microbiology (host-microbe interactions, environmental microbiology, physiological mechanisms, symbiosis, signaling pathways, etc.) and computational immunology. Student research projects encompass biological research from various departments around the country. Participants will be required to attend weekly seminars, professional development talks and ethics training, complete program assessments in a timely manner, and attend all events deemed necessary by the laboratory in which they are doing the work. Student selection for program participation will be made by the NSURP board of directors and will be based on student career goals and their ability to work remotely. Students, who must be a US citizen, US national or permanent resident to be eligible, will be provided stipends. More information, including a list and presentations of previous NSURP projects, can be found at https://nsurp.org. Additional details can be obtained by contacting the PI (Dr. Michael D. L. Johnson) or program administrators at nsurporg@gmail.com. This project is supported by the Divisions of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB), Integrative and Organismal Systems (IOS), Environmental Biology (DEB), and Biological Infrastructure (DBI), all within the Directorate for Biological Sciences.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.