Research Experience and Training Coordination Core

密歇根州立大学超级基金研究中心（MSU SRC）的首要主题是 了解环境，微生物和哺乳动物生物分子对环境污染物的反应 作为芳烃受体（AhR）的配体。研究经验与培训协调 核心（RETCC）旨在通过促进合作，跨学科研究来提高中心的成功。 所代表的学科包括：生物化学、计算生物学、工程学、数据管理和 分析，Mol.生物学、药理学、土壤科学、社会科学和毒理学为学员提供 整合的机会，以价值和寻求新的视角。学生的交叉培训将通过 一个多方面的培训方法，包括以实验室为基础的研究加上正式和非正式的指导。这 旨在加速生物科学的第三次革命“融合”运动 （分子生物学是第一，基因组学是第二）（Sharp等人，2011年）通过将生物科学， 物理科学/工程学和数学。MSU SRC是这一运动的典范，因为 毒理学家、工程师和数学家的联合出版物证明了这一点。 参与项目的设计师。跨学科研究通过促进九个具体目标来完成：（1） 每月举行一次虚拟实验室会议，密歇根州立大学、埃默里大学、普渡大学和罗格斯大学的研究人员通过 视频会议，重点是研究生和博士后研究员的演讲;（2） 一个四节互动研讨会系列，为学员提供一个概念和激励框架， 欣赏拥抱多方法的价值，跨学科的研究涉及不同的个人团队; (3)多样化的受训人员招聘和保留;（4）通过以下方式为学生提供跨学科培训： 教学（计算生物学课程和基于生理学的毒理学课程-均提供 作为密集的三天和五天的实践短期课程），（二）由研究生组织的研讨会系列 邀请演讲者的学生/博士后研究员，以及（iii）支持旅行，以提供特殊教育 机会，参观实验室学习新技术;（5）系统生物学/基因组学杂志俱乐部;（6）一个 学期课程会议1小时/周，侧重于社会层面和环境的沟通 健康研究;（7）提供数据管理和分析的基本介绍;（8）提供信息 每季度向战略研究计划报告中心的活动和受训人员的情况;以及（9）制定程序， 遵守所有研究生和博士后在NIH中输入相关信息的要求 CareerTrac及时更新。这一系列活动是一个创新和协调中心， 所有人都参与了SRC。如果冠状病毒大流行继续下去，这些非实验室部分 目标将在数字化学习环境中实现。我们预计20名博士生和5名博士后 MSU SRC/年和培训期分别约为4.5-5年和2-3年。

The overarching theme of the Michigan State University Superfund Research Center (MSU SRC) is to understand environmental, microbial and mammalian biomolecular responses to environmental contaminants that act as ligands for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). The Research Experience and Training Coordination Core (RETCC) aims to enhance the Center’s success by promoting collaborative, interdisciplinary research. Disciplines represented include: Biochemistry, Computational Biology, Engineering, Data Management & Analysis, Mol. Biology, Pharmacology, Soil Science, Social Science and Toxicology providing trainees with integrated opportunities to value and seek new perspectives. Cross-training of students will be achieved through a multifaceted training approach involving laboratory-based research plus formal and informal instruction. This is designed to accelerate movement towards “Convergence” the third revolution in the biological sciences (molecular biology being the 1st and genomics the 2nd) (Sharp et al., 2011) by bringing the biological sciences, physical sciences/engineering and mathematics together. The MSU SRC is a paragon of this movement, as evidenced by the collaborations leading to joint publications by the toxicologists, engineers and mathematical modelers involved in the Project. Interdisciplinary research is accomplished by promoting nine Specific Aims: (1) Monthly Virtual Laboratory meetings where the Michigan State, Emory, Purdue and Rutgers researchers link by video conferencing, with emphasis placed on presentations by graduate students and post-doctoral fellows; (2) a four-session interactive Seminar Series providing a conceptual and motivational framework for trainees to appreciate the value of embracing multi-method, interdisciplinary research involving teams of diverse individuals; (3) Diverse trainee recruitment and retention; (4) providing interdisciplinary training to students through (i) formal instruction (a Computational Biology course, and a Physiologically-based Toxicokinetics course– both presented as intensive three and five day hands-on short courses), (ii) a seminar series organized by the graduate student/postdoctoral fellows who invite the speakers, and (iii) support travel to provide special educational opportunities, visit a lab to learn a new technique; (5) a Systems Biology/Genomics Journal Club; (6) a one semester course meeting 1 hour/week, focused on the social dimensions and communication of environmental health research; (7) to provide basic introduction to data management and analysis; (8) to provide information about the Center’s activities and trainees to the SRP on a quarterly basis; and (9) to institute procedures for compliance with the requirement that all graduate students and post docs enter their relevant information in NIH’s CareerTrac in a timely fashion. This package of activities serves as an innovating and coordinating hub to bring together all involved in the SRC. If the coronavirus pandemic continues, the non-laboratory portions of these aims will be accomplished in digital learning environments. We anticipate 20 PhD students and 5 PostDocs in the MSU SRC/year and their training period will be approximately 4.5-5 and 2-3 years, respectively.