Environmental Signal Transduction: An Interdisciplinary Research Experience for Undergraduates

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo MI

Investigators

Abstract

The program provides a collaborative research atmosphere for undergraduate students in the sciences to work with faculty mentors in the Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry at Western Michigan University. Participating faculty and their students focus on basic and applied approaches to interdisciplinary understanding of signal transduction cascades at different scales of biological organization from molecules to ecosystems. Signal transduction is the study of mechanisms by which biological molecules or chemical agents initiate action within cells, tissues, organisms or systems. Emphases within the program include (1) interdisciplinary research under the broad umbrella of environmental signal transduction, (2) student ownership of research, (3) ethical conduct within a research environment, (4) the development and implementation of defensible scientific methods, (5) active recruitment of underrepresented groups to a career in science, (6) peer-motivated and mentor-motivated interactions within a cohort of collaborators, (7) communication, presentation and publication of research results, and (8) post-research experience tracking to encourage the pursuit of a career in science. Interactions within the group lead to new and innovative ways of studying biologically relevant signals that have broad applications in agriculture, health, and the environment. Research projects within the program vary from signal cascades within cells that may trigger immune responses to disease, to physiological responses to heavy metal stress, to the impact of genetically engineered plant products on non-target organisms. Students are exposed to a wide range of scientific methods and modern equipment, in both laboratory and field settings, and they are encouraged to take full advantage of available facilities. Students benefit scientifically from addressing highly focused questions from an interdisciplinary perspective and the communication of results from team efforts. Participating students also benefit socially and personally from deeply motivating interactions within a culture of deep commitment, interdisciplinary respect and societal relevance. In today's highly competitive research environment, the ability to apply a wide range of methods, skills, ideas, and theories from multiple disciplines is vital to the solution of both applied and conceptual problems.