Biotechnology Predoctoral Training Program

描述(由申请人提供)：本提案要求继续资助西北大学生物技术博士前培训项目。这个跨学科和跨部门的项目为一批来自四个参与单位的博士生提供生物技术培训机会：生物医学和化学工程系(CHE)、化学系和跨部门生物科学(IBIS)研究生项目。从广泛的生命科学实验室中选择的研究机会，由核心的跨学科课程补充。为期三到六个月的工业实习使学员接触到现代生物技术的工业环境。所有受训者和大多数讲师都参加了IBIS，为期两天的校外年度静修活动，允许来自多个学科的学生和教职员工进行广泛的互动，并增加受训人员群体的凝聚力。生物技术研究俱乐部在学年期间每月举行一次或更多的会议，在夏季每月举行两次会议，是学员和教职员工向参与该计划的其他学生展示他们的研究成果并与其互动的论坛。其他几个跨学科研究俱乐部(如生物物理学俱乐部、生物材料俱乐部)为受训者提供了更多的机会来拓宽他们的知识和视角。学员组织和主持生物技术研讨会，邀请工业界和学术界的科学家到校园参加研讨会并与学员进行讨论。学生们还在校园里参加了其他几个与生命科学相关的研讨会项目。对负责任的研究行为的指导主要通过“生物研究中的伦理”课程进行。项目和参与单位通过海报、宣传册和万维网网页招募学员。为招收代表性不足群体的学生作出了密集努力，并取得了相当大的成功。在该培训计划的前5年中，相当大一部分学员来自CHE，因为申请学生的人数较多。然而，在过去的4年里，来自BME、IBIS和CHE的不同群体的研究生得到了平衡的支持。参加该计划的教师人数将从18人增加到31人。将资助职位从5个增加到8个，这将支持扩大的教官基础，并允许一些化学学生提供支持。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests funding continuation for the Predoctoral Biotechnology Training Program at Northwestern University (NU). This interdisciplinary and interdepartmental Program offers biotechnology training opportunities for a select group of Ph.D. students from four participating units: the departments of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering (ChE), the Chemistry department, and the Interdepartmental Biological Sciences (IBiS) graduate program. Research opportunities, chosen from among a wide array of laboratories in the life sciences, are complemented by a core interdisciplinary curriculum. Three- to 6-month industrial internships expose trainees to the industrial environment of modern biotechnology. All trainees and most preceptors participate in the IBiS, two-day, off-campus annual retreat, which allows extensive interactions among students and faculty from many disciplines and increases the cohesiveness of the trainee group. The Biotechnology research club, which meets once a month or more during the academic year and twice a month during the summer, is the forum where trainees and faculty present their research results to and interact with other students participating in the Program. Several other interdisciplinary research clubs (e.g. Biophysics Club, Biomaterials Club) provide trainees with additional opportunities to broaden their knowledge and perspective. Trainees organize and host biotechnology seminars that bring industrial and academic scientists to campus for a seminar and discussions with trainees. Students also take advantage of several other life sciences-related seminar programs on campus. Instruction in the responsible conduct of research is carried out primarily through the course "Ethics in Biological Research". Trainees are recruited by the Program and the participating units, using posters, brochures, and WWW pages. Intensive efforts are made to recruit students from underrepresented groups, and have been quite successful. In the first 5 years of this Training Program a significant fraction of trainees has come from ChE because of the larger student-applicant pool. During the past 4 years, however, a diverse population of graduate students from BME, IBiS, and ChE has been supported in a balanced manner. The number of preceptors participating in the Program will increase from 18 to 31. An increase from 5 to 8 funded positions will support this expanded preceptor base and allow the support of some Chemistry students.