REU Site: Research by Undergraduates Using Molecular Biology Applications (RUMBA)

San Jose State University Foundation, San Jose CA

Investigators

Abstract

The REU program at San Jose State University, called Research by Undergraduates using Molecular Biology Applications (RUMBA), will engage 6 undergraduate students each summer in a ten-week research program focused on molecular biology applications. Faculty members with expertise in the areas of genetics, molecular evolution, molecular environmental microbiology, cell & molecular developmental biology, and biodiversity will mentor students. In addition to research, students will participate in the following: (1) molecular biology techniques training, (2) a weekly formal group research meeting, (3) an ethics seminar, and (4) a culminating research symposium. Students will be expected to write up their work and present at the culminating symposium. Students will be recruited from San Jose State University and other local undergraduate institutions with high enrollment of female and underrepresented minority students. San Jose State University (SJSU), the oldest public university in the state of California, is located in downtown San Jose and in the heart of Silicon Valley. The Biological Sciences Department at SJSU occupies a central role in the training of biotechnology professionals in Silicon Valley. Students interested in participating in RUMBA can contact Julio G. Soto, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences Department, by email at jsoto3@email.sjsu.edu or by phone at 408-924-4925. More information about the program will be posted at http://www2.sjsu.edu/depts/Biology/facultystaff/soto/soto.html.