Preparing Computational Biologists for the New England Workforce

南康涅狄格州立大学是一所公立大学，是东海岸第二大生物技术公司聚集地，该项目将通过支持有经济需要的高成就低收入学生的保留和毕业，为全国对受过良好教育的科学家、数学家、工程师和技术人员的需求做出贡献。这个名为“为新英格兰劳动力准备计算生物学家（ComBiNE）”的项目将解决新英格兰和全国范围内对训练有素的计算机和生物科学毕业生的需求。该项目将招收对计算生物学领域感兴趣并有经济需求的学术上有天赋的学生，实施支持保留的活动，并提供高质量的职业准备培训。该项目为期6年，将分别向两批11名和12名学者颁发为期4年的奖学金。该项目的目标是为有经济需要的学生提供公平的人才发展机会，并通过建立计算生物学跨学科课程，帮助学生加强职业准备和途径，以满足当地和地区的劳动力需求，帮助填补研究和行业劳动力的缺口。除了跨学科的计算生物学课程，分层的夏季研究经验，指导和队列建设和支持也是突出的特点。ComBiNE与NSF的使命一致，因为它也将产生关于如何提高STEM教育的保留率和毕业率的知识。南康涅狄格州立大学45%的本科生来自STEM领域中代表性不足的群体，该项目有望支持多样性和包容性。联合计划还将加强学术界和工业界之间的伙伴关系，通过在国家和州一级为快速发展的领域提供训练有素的专业人员，提高美国的经济竞争力。获奖学生将参加各种旨在提高参与度和记忆力的活动。首先是以计算生物学为主题的方向和第一年的经验，加上特别设计的主修和辅修课程，确保获得跨学科的计算生物学专业知识。接下来，将通过学习社区和队列建设活动提供同伴支持，并在奖学金期间由指定的导师提供一对一的指导。最后，结构化和增量的三阶段跨学科计算生物学研究和实习经历与学生在大三和大四的职业发展活动相结合，增加了他们的职业安置前景。跨学科的暑期研究经历是ComBiNE项目的关键要素之一，包括三个阶段：引入、孵化和独立。这些暑期研究经历将帮助学生在大四之前的暑期获得当地行业的实习机会。ComBiNE项目还将为有经济需求的STEM学生提供有关学业成功、保留和完成以及项目效率的知识。由于文献中有大量证据表明本科研究对提高学生的保留率和完成度的重要性，ComBiNE将重点关注结构化和增量式三阶段跨学科研究经验在提高学生对研究的坚持度以及最终他们对学习计划的保留率和完成度方面的有效性。该项目由美国国家科学基金会的科学、技术、工程和数学奖学金项目资助，旨在增加有经济需求的低收入学术天才学生在STEM领域获得学位的人数。它还旨在改善未来STEM工作者的教育，并为低收入学生提供有关学业成功、留校、转学、毕业和学术/职业道路的知识。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知识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 project will contribute to the national need for well-educated scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and technicians by supporting the retention and graduation of high-achieving, low-income students with demonstrated financial need at Southern Connecticut State University, a public university in a region that is home to the second largest cluster of biotechnology companies on the East coast. The project, "Preparing Computational Biologists for the New England Workforce (ComBiNE)," will address the demonstrated need for well-trained graduates in computing and bioscience in New England as well as at the national level. This project will recruit academically talented students with interest in the area of computational biology and have financial needs, implement activities to support retention, and provide high-quality career readiness training. Over its six-year duration the project will award 4-year scholarships to 2 cohorts of 11 and 12 scholars. The project’s objective is to offer equity in talent development to students with financial need and to help fill a gap in the research and industry workforce by building interdisciplinary curricula in computational biology and helping students strengthen career readiness and pathways to meet the local and regional workforce demand. In addition to the interdisciplinary computational biology curricula, a tiered summer research experience, mentoring and cohort building and support are also prominent features. ComBiNE aligns with NSF mission as it will also generate knowledge on how to improve retention and graduation rate in STEM education. With 45% of Southern Connecticut State University undergraduate students coming from groups underrepresented in their pursuit of STEM fields, this project holds promise to support diversity and inclusion. ComBiNE will also increase partnering between academia and industry, and it will increase the economic competitiveness of the United States by providing the workforce with well-trained professionals in a fast-growing field both at the national and state level.Awarded students will participate in a variety of activities aimed at engagement and retention. First is a computational biology themed orientation and first-year experience coupled with specially designed major and minor curricula that ensure acquiring interdisciplinary computational biology expertise. Next, peer-support through a learning community and cohort building events will be offered along with one-on-one mentoring with an assigned mentor throughout the duration of the scholarship. Finally, structured and incremental three-phase interdisciplinary computational biology research and internship experiences are paired with career-development events for students in their junior and senior years, increasing their prospects in career placement. The interdisciplinary summer research experience is one of the key elements in the ComBiNE program and consists of the three phases: Introduction, Incubation, and Independence. These summer research experiences will support students in securing internships in the local industry in the summer prior to their senior year. The ComBiNE program will also inform and generate knowledge about academic success, retention and completion, and program efficacy particularly among STEM students with financial needs. With much evidence in the literature on the importance of undergraduate research in improving retention and completion, ComBiNE will focus on the efficacy of the structured and incremental three-phase interdisciplinary research experience in increasing students’ persistence in research and ultimately their retention in and completion of the program of study. This project is funded by NSF’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. It also aims to improve the education of future STEM workers, and to generate knowledge about academic success, retention, transfer, graduation, and academic/career pathways of low-income students.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.