REU Site: Molecular Basis of Cellular Phenotypes (MBCP) at The Wistar Institute

REU Site奖授予位于宾夕法尼亚州费城的Wistar Institute，将支持在2023-2025年夏季对10名学生进行为期10周的培训。预计共有30名学生将在该方案中接受培训，这些学生主要来自研究机会有限的学校或代表性不足的群体。学生将学习研究是如何进行的，许多人将在科学会议上展示他们的工作成果。该计划将为学生提供研究经验、指导和专业支持，帮助他们在生命科学领域开始成功的研究生职业生涯，并将支持未来生命科学家的多样化渠道。对该计划的评估将通过一个在线系统进行。学生们将在该计划之后被跟踪以确定他们的职业道路。细胞表型的分子基础REU计划是围绕NSF的十大想法之一--“理解生命规则”而组织的，并与其目标一致，目的是阐明一套规则，这些规则可以预测生物体的可观察特征及其表型。项目探索分子功能以了解细胞行为。来自Wistar每个研究项目的教师导师将为本科生提供令人兴奋的项目：基因表达与调控；免疫学、微环境与肿瘤转移；分子与细胞肿瘤发生；疫苗与免疫疗法。该项目包括为期两周的实验指导，旨在提高学生的信心和生产力，然后是为期8周的实习。在迎新期间，学生将参加分子和细胞生物学技术的实践培训，并研究人类TP53基因的遗传变异如何影响细胞结果(例如，细胞凋亡)。然后，根据学生的科学兴趣，分配一个实习项目和一名博士前实习生作为同行导师，以增强他们对Wistar研究社区的归属感。通过队列建设活动和每周小组研讨会支持专业和个人成长，主题涵盖科学交流、负责任地开展研究培训和研究生院申请。有关该计划的更多信息，请访问https://wistar.org/education-training或联系国际组织(dzuzga@wistar.org大卫·祖兹加博士)或联合国际组织(克里斯蒂·舒达·麦奎尔博士，电子邮件：kshudamcguire@wistar.org)。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This REU Site award to Wistar Institute located in Philadelphia, PA, will support the training of 10 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2023-2025. It is anticipated that a total of 30 students, primarily from schools with limited research opportunities or from an under-represented group, will be trained in the program. Students will learn how research is conducted, and many will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. The program will provide students with research experience, mentorship, and professional support to help them embark on successful graduate careers in the life sciences and will support a diverse pipeline of future life scientists. Assessment of the program will be done through an online system. Students will be tracked after the program to determine their career paths.The Molecular Basis of Cellular Phenotypes REU Program is organized around one of the NSF’s 10 Big Ideas, “Understanding the Rules of Life,” and is aligned with its aim to elucidate the sets of rules that predict an organism's observable characteristics, its phenotype. Projects explore molecular function to understand cell behavior. Faculty mentors from each of Wistar’s research programs: Gene Expression & Regulation; Immunology, Microenvironment & Metastasis; Molecular & Cellular Oncogenesis; and Vaccine & Immunotherapy will offer exciting projects for undergraduates. The program consists of a 2-week lab orientation designed to increase student confidence and productivity, followed by an 8-week internship. During orientation, students participate in hands-on training in molecular and cellular biology techniques and investigate how genetic variation in the human TP53 gene affect cellular outcomes (for example, apoptosis). Based on their scientific interests, students are then assigned an internship project and a predoctoral trainee to serve as a peer mentor to enhance their sense of belonging within Wistar’s research community. Professional and personal growth is supported by cohort-building activities and weekly group workshops with topics covering science communication, responsible conduct of research training, and graduate school application. More information about the program is available by visiting https://wistar.org/education-training or by contacting the PI (Dr. David Zuzga at dzuzga@wistar.org) or the co-PI (Dr. Kristy Shuda McGuire at kshudamcguire@wistar.org).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.