Biotechnology Research Training Grant

描述（申请人提供）：莱斯大学生物技术培训计划提供高质量的跨学科培训，为学术和工业生物技术的研究事业做好准备。它由跨学科的生物科学与生物工程研究所（IBB）管理，教师导师来自生物化学与细胞生物学、生物工程、化学和化学与生物分子工程。这个培训项目在IBB的存在促进了教师和学生之间的互动，并为教育和研究培训活动提供了关键支持。它一直是新生物工程系发展的核心，拥有排名前10的研究生课程。该计划的博士预科培养人数为12人。这些受训者在研究生学习一年后被挑选出来，根据他们的学术表现、对他们作为研究人员的潜力的评估以及他们对生物技术的兴趣进行为期两年的任命。重点是通过外展活动、有针对性的招聘和指导计划，从代表性不足的族裔群体中招募和留住学生。该计划的学员将学习生物技术的核心跨学科课程，包括“生物技术基础”，这是专门为该计划开发的课程序列。学生还需要学习负责任的研究行为课程。受训者还将参加领导力讲习班和工业实习。受训者参加特别研讨会，包括一些侧重于工业环境研究的研讨会，目的是帮助他们为实习成功做好准备。一年一度的研究静修为受训者提供了与彼此、教师和当地生物技术公司高管互动的机会。支持该项目的物理设施非常出色，都是最近建造或翻新的，2008年该项目将搬到一个新的建筑，一个生物技术合作中心，由莱斯大学、贝勒医学院和安德森医学博士共同使用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Biotechnology Training Program at Rice University provides high quality interdisciplinary training to prepare pre-doctoral trainees for research careers in academic and industrial biotechnology. It is administered by the interdisciplinary Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering (IBB), with faculty mentors from biochemistry & cell biology, bioengineering, chemistry, and chemical & biomolecular engineering. The presence of this training program in IBB has been catalytic for interactions among faculty and students and has provided key support for education and research training activities. It has been central to development of a new Department of Bioengineering, with a top-10 ranked graduate program. The requested number of pre-doctoral trainees for the program is 12. The trainees are selected after their first year of graduate studies for a two-year appointment based on academic performance, assessment of their potential as researchers, and their interests in biotechnology. Emphasis is given to recruiting and retaining students from under-represented ethnic groups through outreach activities, targeted recruiting, and mentoring programs. Trainees in this program take a core of interdisciplinary coursework in biotechnology, including 'Foundations of Biotechnology', a course sequence developed specifically for this program. Students also take a course in Responsible Conduct of Research. Trainees participate in a leadership workshop and an industrial internship as well. Special seminars are attended by trainees, including some seminars focused on research in the industrial setting meant to help prepare them for success on their internships. An annual research retreat provides the trainees with the opportunity to interact with each other, faculty, and with executives from local biotechnology companies. The physical facilities that support this program are outstanding, all either recently constructed or renovated, and in 2008 the program will move to a new building, a collaborative center for biotechnology, jointly occupied by Rice, Baylor College of Medicine, and M.D. Anderson.