REU Site: Computational Insights into Infectious Disease Evolution, Ecology and Epidemiology

该REU网站奖授予位于康涅狄格州纽黑文的耶鲁大学，将在2024-2026年夏季为6名学生提供为期10周的培训。预计将从社区学院和本科院校招募6名对STEM研究和公共卫生感兴趣的前监禁本科生。研究重点是传染病的进化、生态学和流行病学。通过课程作业和研究，参与者将了解大数据集的计算分析。该计划将有助于满足国家对多样化，计算熟练的劳动力的需求。学生将学习如何进行研究，并将在科学会议上展示他们的工作成果。该计划的评估将通过在线工具完成。学生应使用NSF ETAP（教育和培训申请：https://etap.nsf.gov）向REU网站申请。该项目将填补扩大STEM培训和计算机接触的需求，帮助那些在公立K-12教育中处于劣势的学生，他们在监禁期间接触计算机的机会有限。该项目将包括来自耶鲁大学各个院系的教师导师，包括生态和进化生物学系以及公共卫生学院。结构化活动将包括Python的基本编程、数据分析、建模、模拟和机器学习。计算机技能对那些寻求就业或研究生教育的人来说很有市场。每天早上，学生们将参加一门计算方法课程，以提高他们的研究技能。每天下午，他们将加入一个由教师领导的研究小组，研究传染病的一个方面。每个REU学生将有一个研究生导师在研究环境中提供指导。很少有研究机会的学生将获得计算技能和经验，成为研究团队的一员，并学习获得高级学位的途径。研讨会将提供与其他REU学生交流的机会，并了解公共卫生和基础研究方面的职业道路。申请人将根据他们的数学和科学成绩选择，并对计算和数据科学有浓厚的兴趣。有关该计划的更多信息，请联系PI Brandon Ogbunu （brandon.ogbunu@yale.edu）或联合PI Jacqueline Tanaka （jacqueline.tanaka@yale.edu）。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。

This REU Site award to Yale University, located in New Haven, CT, will support the training of 6 students for 10 weeks during the summers of 2024-2026. It is anticipated that 6 formerly incarcerated undergraduate students interested in STEM research and public health will be recruited from community colleges and undergraduate institutions. The research is focused on the evolution, ecology and epidemiology of infectious diseases. Through coursework and research, participants will be introduced to the computational analysis of big data sets. The program will contribute to the national need for a diverse, computationally adept workforce. Students will learn how research is conducted and will present the results of their work at scientific conferences. Assessment of this program will be done through an online tool. Students should apply to the REU site using NSF ETAP (Education and Training Application: https://etap.nsf.gov). This program will fill a need to expand STEM training and computing exposure for students historically disadvantaged in public K-12 education with limited exposure to computing during incarceration. The program will incorporate faculty mentors from various departments at Yale University, including the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and the School of Public Health. The structured activities will include basic programming in Python, data analysis, modeling, simulations, and machine learning. The computing skills will be marketable for those seeking employment or graduate education. Each morning, students will participate in a computational methods course to improve their research skills. Each afternoon, they will join a faculty-led research team addressing an aspect of infectious disease. Each REU student will have a graduate student mentor to provide guidance in the research environment. Students with few research opportunities will gain computing skills and experience, become part of a research team, and learn about pathways to advanced degrees. Seminars will provide opportunities to network with other REU students and learn about career paths in public health and basic research. Applicants will be selected based on their math and science grades with a strong interest in computing and data science. More information about the program is available by contacting the PI Brandon Ogbunu (brandon.ogbunu@yale.edu) or the co-PI Jacqueline Tanaka (jacqueline.tanaka@yale.edu).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.