REU Site: Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics and Biomaterials

George Washington University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

This site is co-funded by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program. It is also supported by the Directorates of Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), and Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), in addition to the Directorate for Biological Sciences. Future advances in molecular biology depend critically on technology and ideas crossing over from the physical sciences and the computational sciences. Experimental techniques that probe materials at the nanoscale-level offer promising new views of living systems and modeling approaches based on pure theoretical and computational approaches offer new insights into biological systems. Our program provides a week-long hands-on introduction to molecular biology techniques and then a nine-week mentored research internship in laboratories. The research is aimed at fundamental questions in Biology that cut across the disciplines of Anthropology, Biology, Computer Science, Materials Physics and Materials Chemistry. Students will be further engaged in interdisciplinary ideas through discussions with participating faculty about their on-going research, scientific career options and ethics. In this context the REU program will seek to stimulate student interest in pursuing scientific research and to engage students in cross-disciplinary biological research, with particular emphasis on quantitative approaches. Students will be provided opportunities to enjoy the rich variety of Washington D.C.'s cultural and scientific venues. Nine students, who aspire to pursue research careers in the life, computational, and physical sciences will be selected for this ten week program. For more information contact Robert P. Donaldson or Mark E. Reeves 202-994-4039, robdon@gwu.edu, and visit http://bioinformatics.gwu.edu/reu.