PITT-SPURG Summer Program for Undergrad Research Growth

描述(由申请者提供)：匹兹堡本科生研究成长暑期计划(PITT-SPURG)的总体目标是鼓励数量科学专业的本科生进入生物医学研究的职业生涯，向他们介绍当代生物信号转导和受体功能方面的问题，这些问题将受益于跨学科方法。PITT-SPURG将利用MENTOR专注于核和膜分隔的受体和细胞信号，其中有物理、生化和结构方法的广泛应用来解决这些生物学问题。在为期10周的项目中，学生将在分子药理学项目教师的指导下，在受体、G蛋白或信号转导领域进行原创性研究。学生将使用最先进的技术解决生物医学科学前沿的问题。学生们还将跟随一系列专门的讲座，向物理和定量科学专业的学生介绍核和膜分隔的受体和生物信号问题，以及向他们介绍这门学科的技术方法。此外，他们还将参加旨在加深对科学过程和批判性分析的理解的研讨会计划，以及关于生物医学研究中职业道路的研讨会论坛。长期目标是促进科学培训新的研究人员，利用跨学科的方法来解决这些学科中的重大研究问题。未来的学生将从历史上申请匹兹堡大学暑期研究项目的一大批优秀候选人中挑选出来。该计划将在互联网网站、学生报纸、向研究生人数较多的学院和大学发送的邮件以及口碑上广泛宣传。NIH资助的一批经验丰富的核心调查人员已被选为导师。申请者将被要求提交一份简历，包括个人数据、学术专业、平均绩点、以前的经验以及他们对暑期研究的首选。暑期班学生将由执行委员会根据优点、适合性和多样性进行选择。辅助活动将包括实验室安全和科学道德。在项目结束时，每个学生将在参与的学生和导师的座谈会上展示他/她的工作成果。所有成功完成课程的学生都将获得证书。纵向跟踪将监测参加该项目的学生选择的研究生培训和职业选择，并将与进入生物医学研究生的情况进行比较，后者是定量科学专业的学生，但没有参加PIT-SPURG或类似项目。这种跟踪将提供对该计划实现其目标的能力的评估。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of the Pittsburgh Summer Program for Undergraduate Research Growth (Pitt-SPURG) is to encourage entry of undergraduates majoring in quantitative sciences into careers in biomedical research by introducing them to contemporary problems in biological signal transduction and receptor function that benefit from inter-disciplinary approaches. Pitt-SPURG will exploit the mentor focus on nuclear and membrane-delimited receptors and cell signaling, where there is extensive application of physical, biochemical and structural approaches to addressing these biological problems. During the 10-week program, students will conduct original research in an area of receptors, G proteins, or signal transduction under the mentored supervision of Molecular Pharmacology Program faculty. Students will work on problems at the frontier of biomedical science using state-of-the art techniques. Students will also follow a dedicated series of lectures to introduce physical and quantitative science majors to nuclear and membrane-delimited receptors and biological signaling problems and technical approaches to introduce them to this subject. Additionally, they will participate in a seminar program designed to further their understanding of the scientific process and critical analysis, and workshop forums on career paths within biomedical research. The long-term goal is to promote scientific training of new investigators that exploits interdisciplinary approaches to address significant research problems in these disciplines. Prospective students will be selected from a large and outstanding pool of candidates that historically apply to summer research programs at the University of Pittsburgh. The program will be widely advertised on internet websites, in student newspapers, mailings to college and universities with high numbers of students pursuing graduate scientific training, and by word of mouth. A core of NIH-funded, experienced investigators have been chosen as mentors. Applicants will be asked to submit a curriculum vita including personal data, academic major, grade point average, previous experience, and their top choices of summer research. Summer students will be selected based on merit and appropriateness of fit and diversity by the Executive Committee. Ancillary activities will include laboratory safety, and scientific ethics. At the end of the program, each student will present the results of his/her work at a colloquium of participating students and mentors. A certificate will be awarded to all students successfully completing the Program. Longitudinal follow-up will monitor graduate training and career choices elected by student participants in this program and will be compared with that of entering biomedical graduate students, who were quantitative science majors but did not participate in Pitt-SPURG or similar programs. This tracking will provide an assessment of the ability of the program to achieve its goals.